


This Side of Paradise

by captainmitang



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Highschool AU, Minayeon, samo, twice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-01-11 23:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18434336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainmitang/pseuds/captainmitang
Summary: Mina finds herself in detention after covering for a friend—a choice that leads her to meet the overly confident Nayeon, who takes a liking to her. Being the new kid at their high school, Mina finds herself wanting to know more about the mysterious senior.





	1. Feels Right

**Author's Note:**

  * For [twice_celestial](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twice_celestial/gifts).



> Hey everyone! This is gonna be a four-part fic for my amazing friend Jaymi (Mimi), who just turned 19! Happy birthday, girlie!
> 
> P.S. follow me on twitter if you have any comments or questions - @captainmitang
> 
> Also, please note the setting for this takes place in the USA. That's where I grew up, and that's what school setting is most familiar to me, so I didn't wanna try to write about a Korean/Japanese school setting I wasn't educated enough about. 
> 
> The title is a reference to the song "This Side of Paradise" by Coyote Theory. 
> 
> Thanks and enjoy!

Nayeon headed to her usual desk, about to throw down her things, when she noticed there was a problem. A problem in the shape of a girl Nayeon didn’t recognize, sitting at her desk in the back. It was the desk she always claimed when she sat through detention—which was often—so her name might as well have been written on it. Actually, if you looked under the desk, you’d see her name really was written on it in red pen. How it got there, well, that’s another story altogether.

Nayeon huffed with petty annoyance, deciding to plop down in the seat directly to the mystery girl’s right. Taking a peek at the fresh blood, Nayeon surveyed the girl closely. She liked to make it her business to know everyone in her school, and she knew she’d never seen this girl around before. 

The girl had medium length ginger hair—more of a light orange than red. It was a bright yet pleasant color which suited the girl. She looked to be about Nayeon’s age, maybe slightly younger. Sporting a casual blue summer dress, the girl certainly looked out of place among the other students in slacks and jeans. But it was more than just her clothes that set her apart, it was her aura. Nayeon couldn’t really put her finger on it, but the girl just gave off this different kind of energy she wasn’t used to. It intrigued her more than anything. 

Nayeon herself liked to look presentable, but today was Friday—her minimal effort, basically roll out of bed and hope she looked okay—day. Adjusting her rectangular glasses on her nose, Nayeon leaned back in her seat and decided to strike a conversation with whom she could only assume was the new kid she heard whispers about. The new kid was a junior, a year below Nayeon.

“You’re the new kid, right? Wait. Hold on. I know you,” Nayeon said, leaning in the direction of the ginger girl sitting at the desk next to her.

“I don’t think we’ve met,” the girl deadpanned, not even bothering to lift her head from her phone screen.

Nayeon raised a brow and held up a hand, annoyed with the girl’s apathetic behavior. “I don’t need to meet people to know them. Your mommy and daddy are rich—they give you everything you want, but they have expectations. I’m not talking, ‘be happy and kind’ types of normal expectations. I’m talking: ‘you better graduate with a masters in medicine and open up your own practice before you turn 30’ types of expectations. The whole, ‘we did well in life and we expect you to do even better.’” 

This caught the girl’s attention. The girl’s name was Mina, but Nayeon wouldn’t find that out until later. She set her sleek iPhone down on her desk and slightly turned her head so that she got a glimpse of the talkative brunette next to her. 

“But you don’t want that. Nope. So you do what you can to be rebellious. You take that image your parents have of you of being the perfect daughter, and you visualize tearing it apart. Sometimes you act out. You do stupid things, just for kicks. You know it’s stupid and you know the consequences but it’s worth it because it’s the only way to get your parents to see you. Not their precious, little girl, but the real you. The one who wants to go after something non-conventional, like acting, writing, maybe even cooking. You think that maybe getting detention will finally snap them out of their perfect reality. Maybe they’ll actually listen to you for once when you say you wanna be an actress, without laughing at the statement and dismissing it as a joke.”

Mina, who has been silent during this over dramatic monologue, simply leaned back in her seat as if stretching her lower back. She never took her eyes off of Nayeon, watching her, now, with mild interest.

“So tell me, Richie Rich, how’s this whole detention thing working out for you?” 

The nickname grinded Mina’s gears, but she took a breath and ignored it. “Well, for one thing, I didn’t expect to be psychoanalyzed, very inaccurately, by a stranger.” 

Nayeon smiled at that. “What can I say...I just understand people. They speak to me. For these evaluations, I normally accept cash and checks, only. But since you look like you had a rough day, I’ll give you a discount.” The senior winked—charm practically oozing out of her. 

Mina rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and frowning. It seemed she was unaffected by the girl’s normal antics. “And here I thought you couldn’t get any more annoying.”

“Ouch,” Nayeon muttered, but she still wore a smirk on her face. “Tough crowd today. Maybe next week I’ll have better luck.”

“I don’t plan on being here next week,” Mina said. 

“Oh really?” Nayeon asked. “Had a taste of detention and it’s too much for you to handle?”

Mina scoffed, picking her phone back up. “I’m not supposed to be here. This was a mistake.”

Nayeon arched a brow, obviously amused. She propped her head up on her desk with her hand. “So...you’re innocent?”

Mina sighed and quickly checked the time on her phone. “I was covering for someone,” she mumbled, without making eye contact with the girl beside her. 

“It ought to have been someone pretty damn special if you took a detention for them...on a Friday, no less. I try to avoid detention on the weekend but, sometimes it can’t be helped.”

“Seems like you’re the rebellious, rich kid, after all,” Mina replied. “Are you sure that psychoanalysis wasn’t autobiographical?” 

Now, it was Nayeon’s turn to scoff. “I wish. I’d have a fancy phone like yours and not this dumb flip phone.” Nayeon reached into her backpack and pulled out a sleek, black phone with a dog sticker pasted firmly to the back. 

“Alright everyone, detention starts now. Remember, no phones. And I need complete silence.” The teacher looked pointedly at Nayeon and Mina, who both sheepishly tucked their phones away. “You should use this time to get some homework done. You know, do something productive with your life?”

It was clear the teacher did not wanna be stuck at the school on a Friday afternoon, just as much as the few students in the room didn’t.

Mina pulled out a homework worksheet from her backpack to pass the time. Predictable. Nayeon gave the younger girl a look before she leaned forward onto her desk, resting her head in her arms, and closed her eyes. She spent each hour of detention napping, which was a good way to re-energize after a long school day. 

However, today something was nagging at her. As if her thoughts were a force of their own, unlinked to Nayeon’s will and refusing to let her sleep, the girl lifted her head and sighed. While she’d had her head down, the teacher had disappeared to do who knows what. It was common for the woman to disappear for almost the entirety of detention, only for her to show up at the last minute again to retake attendance. 

Eyes traveling left, Nayeon caught a glimpse of the new girl again, who had snuck her phone out of her bag in the teacher’s absence and appeared to be playing some sort of puzzle game. 

“Psst,” Nayeon whispered, practically making Mina jump out of her seat. At the girl’s startled expression, Nayeon couldn’t help but snicker. The girl shot Nayeon a look of daggers, pouting a bit before mouthing “what?”

“Wanna get out of here?” Nayeon asked. 

Wait. What? “Get out of here? And go where?” The girl looked at Nayeon as if she were a raving, mad woman.

“I don’t know. Somewhere more fun than this. And don’t worry, I’ll get you back here before Mrs. C returns. She always shows up right at the end again, like clockwork.”

Mina pressed her lips together, sizing Nayeon up as if to get a read on her seriousness. Was the senior pulling her leg? Playing some sort of prank?

“That’s a terrible idea. And if you’re trying to play games with me, like a new detention initiate kind of thing—“

Rolling her eyes, Nayeon laughed. “Oh please, I’m trying to be genuine here but it seems like someone isn’t exactly the most trusting. I’m not hazing you. I just wanna show you around.”

“I’ve been toured around, thank you.” The school was big but not that big. In the first few days Mina had been at the school, she had picked up its layout rather easily. Being a student for about a month now, Mina considered herself an expert of the building’s twists and turns. 

“I have some secret spots no one else knows about…I wanna show you, just cause I’m feeling generous. And besides, someone needs to continue my legacy after I graduate.”

Mina loved puzzles and mysteries. Like a fisherman casting out into a small pond, Nayeon’s lure was shining and bright amid the dull and stuffy exterior of the classroom. 

“There’s this door that leads to the roof. It has a pretty nice view of Suburbia. And of course, my favorite spot, the Dark Room. Only photography students are allowed access, but you happen to be staring at one herself.”

Nayeon shot Mina a loppy smile, and Mina had to admit that did sound fun. A lot more interesting than the trigonometry on the worksheet in front of her. 

There was a look of mischief in Nayeon’s eyes, paired with that confident grin. Nayeon could sense the desire in Mina’s waivering conviction as if it gave off a smell. She loved that—making people take chances, change their ways of thinking, because of her. The feeling almost made Nayeon hungry. 

“C’mon,” Nayeon teased. “It’ll be fun, and I’ll only give you this chance once. Take it or leave it.”

Mina wanted to go…but, but what about the teacher? What if she came back early to find Mina gone? She’d surely earn herself another detention. Why should she risk getting in trouble for an annoyingly confident stranger who made assumptions about who she was before she even opened her mouth?

Before Mina could really consider her next move, Nayeon was already standing up, gathering her purse. Sitting like a fish with an open mouth, Mina watched as the girl began to walk toward the door. Quickly turning her head to glance around, Mina noticed that no one else in the room seemed to care—some kids were sleeping, others with headphones in, most had their phones out. No one really seemed to care about the fact that Nayeon was about to open the classroom door and venture outside.

Gathering her own things hurriedly, Mina stood up as well—her chair making a cringy, loud squeak as it slid backwards—and walked quickly to catch up to Nayeon, who stood waiting at the door with an eyebrow raised.

“I knew you weren’t boring,” Nayeon chided, giving Mina a grin before the two girls stepped outside into the eerily quiet halls. “We’ll stop by the Dark Room first, and then head up to the roof.”

Nayeon strode confidently forward, and Mina struggled to match the girl’s pace. Sensing this, Nayeon slowed slightly and stuck her hands in the pockets of her sweatpants. “So how long you been here?”

“A month,” Mina responded plainly. 

“Hm,” Nayeon huffed. “One month and you’re already in detention...dang.” 

“Like I said, it was a mistake. It won’t happen again.” 

Nayeon simply shrugged. “You know, it’s not that hard to get detention. I’ve seen all sorts of people come through the pipeline, even kids that would surprise you.”

Mina looked at Nayeon, who was looking at her. “Are you in detention every week or something?”

Nayeon stopped in front of a door on the right of the hallway. “I tend to be here a lot, yeah,” she replied, vaguely. The girls stepped into the art department, which was a large room that smelled vaguely like wet paint. “Here we are.”

Mina wasn’t enrolled in any art classes, so it was interesting to see this part of the building. It was organically messy, unlike the rest of the classrooms she’d been in that were hospital-clean. The room seemed to breathe life, and Mina couldn’t help but stare at the works of art in progress—various paintings and sculptures only half complete but still intriguing nonetheless. 

“Do you like art?” Nayeon asked, watching Mina wander around on her own, examining everything. It was such a broad question. Who doesn’t like art? Art is everywhere around us—it’s in everything we do. 

“Of course.” Mina turned back around to face Nayeon, as if being pulled out of a trance. 

“What kind of art?”

Pressing her lips together, Mina considered the question. She enjoyed art in museums, like paintings and sculptures, she really enjoyed fashion and staying up to date on the latest trends, and she enjoyed watching movies and TV shows, too. However, she wasn’t artsy by any means. Never having really picked up drawing, or even writing, she felt somewhat unqualified to even be in this room.

Then it dawned on her that she’d been forgetting something very important. “Dance,” Mina answered. “I like dancing.” Not the ‘out with friends, going wild at a club’ kind of dancing, but the choreographed, painstakingly crafted kind of dancing. The kind you put your heart and soul into and practiced for hours on end, staring at yourself in the mirror and carefully watching each of your movements. Mina liked precision—no, needed precision, in her life. 

She didn’t say any of that to Nayeon though, just simply letting the word “dance” hang on its own in the air. 

“You dance?” Nayeon asked.

Mina wondered why the girl was asking so many questions. “Yeah, I’ve danced since I was a kid.” She shrugged. 

Nayeon looked at the girl with interest, as if sizing her up. “That’s cool. I’ve never taken dance classes or anything. Photography has always been my thing.” Suddenly, Nayeon felt stupid for saying that. After all, she had told the girl she was in a photography class and was going to show her the Dark Room now. It was obvious she was into photography. Feeling her face flush slightly, Nayeon wordlessly headed to the back corner of the large room where the Dark Room was. 

“When we get into the room, it’ll be pitch black,” Nayeon explained. “Don’t be scared or anything.”

Mina scoffed, offended the senior would think she’d be scared. She then realized the thought of being in a dark room with a stranger she’d just met did actually seem intimidating. The thought must have been displayed on her face, because Nayeon gave the girl a friendly smile.

“Relax, there’s a red light I’ll turn on so we won’t be in the dark for very long.”

Nayeon opened the door and ushered Mina inside. She didn’t like not being able to see, and shuffled forward slowly once Nayeon closed the door behind them.

There was a small feeling of panic rising up in Mina’s stomach before there was a satisfying click and the room was illuminated in a red hue. Turning to examine her surroundings, Mina took in the surprisingly small room. It consisted of two, long metal tables with various tubs of liquids sitting inside them. Strung up above the tables were clotheslines where developing photos were attached, hanging down—glossy and stark. 

“When you first develop film, you have to learn to unspool it from your camera in the darkness, and reload it all without being able to look,” Nayeon explained. 

“That sounds difficult.” Mina was looking at the photos hanging from the clothesline—pictures of people and landscapes. There was even some pictures of an egg in various settings.

Nayeon got a look at the pictures too, seeing what her classmates were up to. “It just takes practice, but it’s not that hard to pick up.”

“Are any of these yours?” Mina asked, figuring it was her turn to start asking some questions. 

Nayeon shook her head. “Not at the moment. I’m still taking pictures for a project, right now.”

Wanting to know more, Mina looked at the girl beside her—seeing her profile lit up in red—all of the lines of her face seemed to glow. 

“I was thinking, though,” Nayeon began. “Can I take your picture sometime? For my project, I mean.” The older girl suddenly sounded embarrassed, and avoided making eye contact with Mina all together. 

Mina could feel her own cheeks heating up, surprised by the question. “What’s your project?”

“It’s all about contrast. And your hair is…” Her voice trailed off.

Mina didn’t quite know what to say. This girl was still a stranger—she didn’t even know her name—and yet, Mina could sense a gentleness inside her, buried beneath the show of confidence on the outside. She’d definitely have to ask her friends about this girl later—they might know more about her.

“After school, maybe,” Mina replied. “As long as you make me look good and I get approval of the pictures you use.”

“You doubt my eye?” Nayeon gasped, referring to her artistic vision and eye for a good shot. “Of course, yeah you get final approval.”

It was settled then. 

“Wanna show me the roof, now?” Mina suggested. The smell of the chemicals in the room was starting to make her feel a little light headed, and her stomach had not yet stopped doing somersaults at the thought of being alone with this girl. 

Nayeon nodded and turned off the red light, opening the door. A flood of bright, fluorescent light rushed in, and Mina squinted at the intensity. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the school, as they began walking to another part of the building. 

“That sign clearly says restricted personnel only,” Mina pointed out, crossing her arms and planting her feet firmly in front of the door Nayeon had led her to.

“And?” Nayeon asked, shaking her head at the younger girl. “You’ve come all this way and you’re gonna chicken out, here?”

“It’s just—”

Nayeon held up a hand again. “I’ve been coming up here since freshman year. There’s no security cameras or alarm or anything. I think maintenance kind of forgot this door even exists, to be honest.” 

Mina wanted to protest, but Nayeon had a point. She’d already left detention and risked getting it again just by being here with the older girl. What more harm could going into an off limits space really do?

Mina sighed, really hoping she didn’t regret this. “Okay.” 

Nayeon internally cheered, smiling smugly and opening the door, which was unlocked. “See? If they really didn’t want students up here, they should learn to lock the door.”

Not looking convinced, Mina narrowed her eyes at the other girl but didn’t say anything. Leading the way, Nayeon stepped into the small hallway which immediately led to abandoned looking stairs. They went up several flights, as the school was three stories tall, and finally made it to another equally sketchy looking door. 

Pushing the door open, Nayeon pressed against the heavy frame outward and revealed the rooftop. It was largely bare, with guard rails encompassing the perimeter. 

“Hope you weren’t expecting anything fancy,” Nayeon called, racing ahead to the south side of the roof and catching herself on the guard rail. Mina slowly approached her and the edge of the roof, looking down at the school’s parking lot and surrounding buildings. She could spot students walking to their cars, trickling out from after school clubs and sports. The running track, football field, and baseball fields stretched out next to the parking lot.

The view wasn’t extraordinary, but it was nice. It sure beat sitting in that classroom, Mina thought. She was glad she tagged along with the older girl, after all. 

“It’s nothing special,” Nayeon replied, as if she had heard Mina’s thoughts. “But I still like it. I come here when I wanna be alone and think. It makes the school seem kind of small, doesn’t it? Even though there’s hundreds of us packed inside.”

Mina hummed in agreement, breathing deeply and taking in the fresh smell of spring grass. “Thanks for showing this to me.” 

“Like I said, someone needs to carry on my permission after I graduate.”

“Are you really gonna graduate on time if you’re in detention every week?” Mina couldn’t help but tease.

Nayeon looked surprised at the girl’s playfulness. “Hey! I’ll have you know I’m actually a good student.” The girl’s face scrunched up as if she’d just eaten something sour, causing Mina to smile sheepishly and then laugh. 

Nayeon’s face unscrunched at the sound, and her eyes lit up, regarding the girl beside her with fondness. “Really, I am a good student though,” Nayeon whined. 

Mina laughed once more, and then let a lazy grin remain on her face. “Okay, I believe you. How did you pull that off, then?”

Nayeon gripped the railings of the guard rail and leaned back on her heels. “It’s a mystery.” Of course, she winked, causing Mina to start feeling that panic bubbling inside her again. 

“Speaking of mysteries...I still don’t know your name,” Mina said. She looked at Nayeon expectantly.

“It’s Nayeon, pleased to meet you.” She bowed in an over dramatic fashion. “And you are?”

“Mina,” the younger girl stated. Suddenly, just knowing each other’s names, the girls felt closer to each other than before. 

There was an awkward beat. 

Mina reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, examining the time. “It’s been 45 minutes...should we head back?”

Nayeon nodded, feeling slightly bad that she’d forgotten about the time. They’d have to hustle back to the room before the teacher returned. “Oops, yeah, we gotta haul there.”

A look of shock formed on Mina’s face and she suddenly began to fast walk toward the door. Now it was Nayeon’s turn to laugh, only half heartedly though because she really didn’t want to get Mina into trouble either. The two girls rushed toward the door and flew down the stairs, giggling together for no reason other than the fact that they were sharing this absurd moment together. 

Nayeon’s sneakers squeaked against the school’s floor as they raced toward the classroom, making a few turns before they arrived. She threw the door open in a dramatic fashion—which went unappreciated by the still half-asleep collection of students in the room. Mina and Nayeon plopped down back in their seats and both sighed loudly, giggling again. 

Nayeon was slightly out of breath, Mina noticed, so she had to bite her tongue so she wouldn’t laugh as the teacher swung the door open and wandered in. The woman’s eyes surveyed the students carefully. By then, everyone had managed to put their phones away in time. How they’d sensed the teacher coming, Mina was unsure, but also intrigued by it—like it was their very own spider sense. 

“Alright, your time is up for today. I’m going to take closing attendance and then you can go.” 

The teacher grabbed a clip board with the students’ names. Leaning back against her desk, the teacher began to recite from the list. 

When Mina’s turn came, she let out a quiet “here.” Then in a flash, they were being dismissed, and students were practically running out the door. She looked over at Nayeon, who was collecting her things with an expressionless look on her face. 

The two girls waited for each other, walking out together. “So for my project, can I just text you so we can schedule a session?” Nayeon seemed a bit nervous about asking, but Mina happily complied, telling the girl her phone number. “Well, I’m driving home. See you around? Not in detention though, right?” Nayeon teased.

“Not in detention!” Mina confirmed enthusiastically. At least, she hoped she wouldn’t end up here again. It was her friend’s fault she was here in the first place. 

In trigonometry earlier that day, while students were passing in their homework, her friend Momo had realized she’d forgotten to do it the night before. Their teacher was crazy strict, so missing one of these assignments meant an automatic detention. Momo was on the track team—one of their star athletes, in fact, and couldn’t afford to miss practice right before her upcoming sectionals meet. Therefore, she begged Mina at the last minute to erase her name on the worksheet the girl had filled out and to write Momo’s name instead.

The teacher didn’t look closely enough at their handwriting to determine whose it actually was, anyway, so a quick switch of the name on the top would do the trick. Mina didn’t want to do it, but she knew Momo wouldn’t ask her to do this if it wasn’t important. And so far, Momo was really the only friend she’d made since she moved to this school. So, begrudgingly, Mina agreed. That’s how she earned herself a detention.

Mina watched as Nayeon gave a slight wave and began walking toward the student parking lot. She glanced at her phone, hoping Momo would finish up with track practice soon so she could get a ride home with her.

It was only then it dawned on her—Nayeon’s name was never called in that final attendance.


	2. I'll Be Your Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mina is Nayeon's model for a day.

Why wasn’t Nayeon’s name called for attendance? Had Mina simply missed it, not paying attention? No, that wasn’t possible. Not when she had been secretly looking forward to learning the older girl’s last name.

 

Mina’s head jolted back to the direction Nayeon had just headed, only to find the girl was gone. In fact, the area around her looked almost eerily empty, besides the cars of the student athletes that still remained in the parking lot. 

 

The atmosphere of the surrounding area suddenly seemed sinister, which was odd because she had waited outside of her new school for days now and never gotten this feeling before. Mina crossed her arms, wishing Momo’s track practice would end early so they could go home. Picking a bench outside the front of the school, Mina sat down and began to browse through social media, hoping to pass the time. 

 

Oddly enough, it was as if her phone had read her slightly paranoid thoughts. Ads for horror movies and creepy articles popped up often, making her shiver. Normally she couldn’t stand to even think about anything horror-related, but this afternoon she felt strangely compelled toward the topic. She began to go down a rabbit hole of ghost stories, local legends, and other horrific things.

 

All the while, in the back of her mind, Mina kept asking herself why Nayeon’s name hadn’t been called for attendance. 

 

“Why are you googling exorcisms,” a voice asked, making Mina nearly jump from the bench she was sitting on. Face turning a shade of red, Mina desperately hit the home button on her phone, only to accidentally cause a slew of tabs about ghosts and other supernatural phenomenon to pop up on her screen.

 

“It’s—no reason!” Mina quickly replied, finally turning off her screen and slamming her phone down on her lap. 

 

“I thought you hated scary things.” the voice continued. “You almost cried when I tried to put on  _ The Conjuring 2 _ .”

 

Mina huffed, turning around in the direction the voice was coming from. 

 

The voice belonged to her friend Momo—a quirky yet passionately loyal girl who’d taken a liking to Mina on her first day in the new school. Standing with her hands on her hips, red track suit on, and with her blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail, the girl truly lived up to her star athlete status. 

 

It was a few minutes after detention had let out, and Mina, so immersed in her research, had let Momo sneak up on her from behind. Momo had leaned forward and squinted, reading her friend’s phone over her shoulder. 

 

“I do hate scary things,” Mina confirmed. “But it’s rude to look over someone’s shoulder, you know.” Pouting, Mina crossed her arms. 

 

Momo smiled at her friend sheepishly while sitting down next to Mina, sliding off her backpack and setting it on the ground. 

 

“Have you ever heard of a girl named Nayeon?” Mina whispered, suddenly looking very serious. With her eyes wide, she looked at Momo earnestly. 

 

Momo pressed her lips together, face scrunching up into a pout as she thought hard. Finally, she shook her head. “Nayeon…? No, I don’t know a Nayeon.”

 

The answer seemed to not surprise Mina, but suddenly made her look slightly paler than before. “There’s no one named Nayeon that goes to our school?”

 

Momo shrugged, curious as to what prompted these questions. “Not that I know of, but you know there’s a lot of students here and I don’t remember names well. Why?”

 

“Nothing, it’s just...I met someone in detention named Nayeon today.”

 

Momo nearly began bouncing up in down in excitement. “You made a new friend?” The expectant smile on her face was infectious enough to make Mina smile too.

 

“No, I mean...maybe. She wants to take my picture for some photography project, so we exchanged numbers.”

 

“Awwww, that’s so cute!” Momo beamed, reaching over and giving Mina’s right cheek a tug. The younger girl groaned and swatted Momo’s hand away.

 

“There was something strange about her though. At the end of detention when the teacher was taking attendance, her name wasn’t called.”

 

Momo’s happy face faltered slightly as she looked at Mina in confusion. “What do you mean?”

 

Mina shrugged. “She was there the whole time with me but, the teacher never called her name.”

 

Momo scratched her chin, reflecting on that fact. “Huh, I mean it’s probably because…” Her voice trailed off as she thought harder about the subject. “I really don’t know. That’s weird. The teacher didn’t say anything to her?”

 

“Nope,” Mina confirmed. “Alright, ready to head out?” she asked, standing up and tilting her head in the direction of Momo’s car in the student lot. 

 

Momo sprung up and slung her track bag over her shoulder. “Yup, but you have to tell me more about this new friend of yours on the way home.”

 

Mina sighed quietly, but was secretly excited to tell Momo about Nayeon. She’d have to admit, Nayeon did make her first and only detention a lot more memorable than she would’ve expected. 

 

As the two slid into Momo’s beat up two-door, Mina began to tell her friend about her trip to the art wing, as well as the very non-guarded door to the roof. 

 

Momo, who was about to turn out of the student parking lot, nearly slammed on the brakes.

 

“The roof. You went to the roof?” Momo asked, suddenly looking at Mina with worry.

 

Mina wasn’t sure why, but the look on Momo’s face scared her slightly. “Yeah. I know it’s restricted but the door wasn’t locked. It’s one of Nayeon’s favorite spots in the school, so she was just showing me.”

 

“God, I can’t believe she took you up there,” Momo grumbled—hands suddenly gripping her steering wheel tightly. “Everyone knows the roof is haunted.”

 

Feeling as though she was suddenly sucker-punched in the gut, Mina gasped. “Wha-what do you mean  _ haunted _ ?” 

 

“As in, haunted enough the school doesn’t even feel the need to lock the door because they know fear itself will keep us from going up there.” There was a look of accusation in Momo’s eyes before she remembered she hadn’t told Mina about the school’s infamous legend. 

 

“What happened there? Why is it haunted?” Mina’s voice register was even higher and quieter than usual. She looked pale again. Momo instantly regretted scaring her like that. 

 

“There was this girl about 5 years ago...she fell off the roof,” Momo explained. “No one knows how it happened or why but...yeah. It’s a thing that happened. Rumor has it that her ghost haunts the roof. Other students reported seeing a figure there, or hearing a girl crying, after she died.” 

 

Mina gasped again, putting a hand over her mouth. “Why would she take me up there, then?” she cried, feeling betrayed by Nayeon. 

 

“She wasn’t a new student, was she?” Momo asked. 

 

Mina shook her head. “She’s a senior. So she should know…”

 

Momo pressed her lips together and sat back in her seat as they were stopped at a red light. “Well, she must be really brave then. That, or incredibly stupid.”

 

Mina felt horrified. The peaceful place suddenly turned sour in her mind. And to think Nayeon had convinced her to go up there…

 

There was a bit of silence between the two girls. Momo decided to turn the radio onto a pop station, trying to lighten the mood. “It’s fine, Mina,” she assured, noticing the girl still looked like she’d seen a ghost. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I should’ve told you about the roof, I guess, I just didn’t think you’d ever have a reason to go up there.”

 

“Thanks for letting me know, or else I might have gone up there more often. Nayeon said it was her secret spot to go to be alone.”

 

“Well, yeah, there’s a reason no one else goes up there,” Momo scoffed. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not taking any chances. I mean...I didn’t think anyone went up there at all anymore. Hate to say it, but your new friend is kind of sketchy.”

 

A bubble rose up in Mina’s throat. She felt compelled to defend Nayeon—after all, the girl had seemed very nice—but she couldn’t shake the scared feeling of being brought to a place that had a tragic history. However, she was sure Nayeon just hadn’t thought about the roof like that. After all, if she had been going there since freshman year, she might have forgotten how scared other students were of the place. 

 

“I guess she’s just not superstitious,” Mina said, after settling her thoughts. 

 

“My parents believe in all that stuff. I guess it kind of got passed down to me,” Momo confessed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if ghosts were real. Wait a second…” An exclamation mark might has well have showed up above Momo’s head. “You said Nayeon’s name was never called for attendance, right?” 

 

Mina’s brow furrowed. “Yes...why?”

 

“Did anyone else interact with her that you saw?”

 

Biting her tongue in the corner of her mouth, Mina thought for a moment. “No, she just talked to me.”

 

“And didn’t you say her phone was seriously outdated?”

 

Mina didn’t quite see where Momo was going with this. “Yeah, it was a flip phone from like 5 years ago.”

 

“Aha! Five years ago!” Momo cried, causing Mina to cross her arms. “So, let me get this straight. This girl who no one else but you interacts with leads you up to the most haunted place in the school, she has a flip phone from five years ago, the time when that girl died, AND her name was never called during attendance? It’s almost as if the teacher didn’t even  _ see _ her, right?” 

 

Mina looked over at her friend, who was still thankfully focused on the road, and couldn’t tell if she was teasing or not. “Momo...you can’t be serious. You don’t actually think—”

 

“Your new friend is a ghost!” Momo announced dramatically. “Oh my god, a  _ ghost  _ flirted with you.” 

 

The eye roll Mina gave Momo must’ve broken some sort of record for most dramatic eye roll yet. “First of all, she not a ghost. Second of all, that wasn’t flirting, she just wants to take pictures of me…” Mina stopped short, suddenly realizing that  _ hey, maybe the girl actually  _ was _ flirting _ . 

 

“This is just like that time in  _ Casper the Friendly Ghost _ where Casper clearly had a thing for Hilary Duff’s character. It was a little weird right, I mean he’s dead...she’s not. It’s kind of a hard obstacle to get over.”

 

Mina pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. “You know how ridiculous you sound, right?”

 

“We’re also assuming Nayeon’s a friendly ghost when she might not be. She could be Casper the  _ Unfriendly _ Ghost. Now, there’s a movie that should be made—”

 

“I’m pretty sure ghosts are almost always unfriendly, in movies anyway,” Mina interrupted. “So by that logic, Casper was pretty daring by introducing a friendly ghost.” 

 

At the absurdity of their conversation, Momo snuck a peek a Mina, who was already looking at her with a dopey smile on her face, and laughed. 

 

The topic quickly switched to Momo’s track practice, luckily, but the rest of the ride home, Mina couldn’t help but think about Nayeon.

 

Sitting in her room, working on homework, her wooden desk suddenly vibrated as her phone lit up. Mina glanced at the notification to see it was an unknown number—which could only be Nayeon. A bit anxiously, Mina opened the message to see Nayeon asking about what time over the weekend worked best to meet up. 

 

Nayeon:  _ I was thinking, the roof might actually be a good place to get some pictures. When we were up there I was taking mental notes of all the best angles to frame you. _

 

_ *your hair. I mean. You know, natural lightning is important.  _

 

The roof… Mina’s stomach twisted at the thought. Should she be honest about the haunted past she’d just been told about? Make some excuse to get out of it? Ask to do the photoshoot somewhere else?

 

Being indecisive as normal, Mina quickly texted Momo.

 

Mina:  _ Casper just texted me. She wants to do that photoshoot on the roof. _

 

Momo: _ Who knew the other side had good cell service.  _

 

Mina rolled her eyes for the second time that day. 

 

Momo:  _ You know there was a rumor the girl who died was taking pictures on the roof when it happened... _

 

Mina:  _ Stop scaring me!! _

 

Momo:  _ Sorry! It’s true though. I don’t think you should go up there.  _

 

Mina:  _ Just come with me this weekend. We’ll prove she’s not a ghost.  _

 

Momo: _ I AM NOT GOING UP THERE?? And neither should you.  _

 

Mina:  _ We’ll meet her somewhere else in the school, then. _

 

Momo:  _ If I do this, you owe me one. _

 

Mina:  _ Actually, you owe me. Remember I got detention for you? _

 

Momo:  _...crap. Fine, but I need to bring some precautions just in case. _

 

And so, a plan was set. Mina texted Nayeon that they’d meet on Saturday, when the school would be open for clubs and other activities.

  
  


“When you said you’d come prepared...I didn’t expect this,” Mina replied, staring at the small vial of water Momo had just tucked away into her coat pocket. It was the next day, and the two girls were standing in the lobby of their high school, waiting for Nayeon to get there.

 

Momo returned Mina’s gaze with a sheepish grin. “It’s just a precaution.” 

 

“Mina,” a voice called. Mina recognized it at once, tearing her gaze from her friend to the girl she’d been thinking about almost obsessively since yesterday.

 

“Hey, Nayeon,” Mina said, giving Nayeon a small wave. “This is my friend Momo, who I mentioned yesterday.” She’d brought up the idea of bringing Momo along under the guise of Momo being Nayeon’s assistant for the photoshoot. Nayeon had agreed it was a good idea.

 

(Although, though Nayeon would never admit it, she’d wanted to spend the time alone with Mina).

 

“Ah, the one who got you into detention?” Nayeon teased, sending a sly grin Momo’s way.

 

Momo looked accusingly at Mina, who looked surprised. “I didn’t mention your name when I said I was covering for a friend, okay?” Mina assured.

 

“Just a lucky guess.” Slinging her camera bag over her shoulder, Nayeon smiled. “Ready to head up?”

 

Momo and Mina both gulped. “Um, Nayeon, about that…” Mina begans. “Momo told me the roof is haunted.”

 

Nayeon snorted, raising an eyebrow. “You actually buy into that?” At Mina and Momo’s serious expression, the older girl sighed. “Okay, I get it. I used to be scared of it too, until someone else brought me up there. It’s just a place.”

 

“Lots of people have said they saw things, experienced things—” Momo began.

 

“I never have. Not once,” Nayeon replied. “But if it really makes you that uncomfortable, we can go somewhere else?”

 

Mina glanced at Momo, who was looking at Nayeon a bit curiously. Hand slowly reaching for her coat pocket, Momo suddenly looked determined. 

 

_ Oh my god, wait, she’s not actually going to— _

 

Mina’s eyes widened as she watched Momo uncap the vial of water with a graceful click, and the girl’s right arm began to extend forward in a lightning fast motion...toward Nayeon.

 

“Momo, wait—”

 

The contents of the vial rushed out...directly onto Nayeon’s face.

 

Nayeon, being totally taken off guard, didn’t have a chance to avoid the water in the slightest. 

 

“What the HELL!” the senior cried out, immediately looking from Momo to Mina in shock. “Why did you do that?” She clenched her fists and stomped toward Momo like a storm of tiny, yet determined, fury. 

 

Momo cried out and quickly retreated behind Mina, who, though trembling, managed to hold her ground. The sight would’ve been quite comical—the taller and older Momo cowering behind her shorter and younger friend—if Nayeon didn’t just receive a face full of cold water which was now dripping down her neck and wetting the collar of her shirt. 

 

“There doesn’t seem to be any sort of negative reaction to the holy water,” Momo whispered. “She’s definitely not a demon...”

 

“A demon?” Nayeon shouted. “Excuse my language, but why the  _ f*ck _ did you throw water in my face?”

 

Mina sighed, immediately wanting to run out of the school in embarrassment. “Momo,” Mina hissed, turning to look back at her friend in horror. 

 

“I just had to be sure…” Momo responded quietly, avoiding eye contact with Mina entirely. 

 

Spinning back to face a still fuming Nayeon, Mina clasped her hands together and took a breath. “That was holy water...she just wanted to make sure you weren’t a ghost.”

 

Nayeon froze. Disbelief, anger and laughter all surged throughout her body at once due to the absurdity of the statement Mina had just said. 

 

Despite the strangeness of the moment, Nayeon let out a cackle, only further confusing the situation. Mina and Momo took a collective step backward. 

 

“You thought I was a  _ ghost _ ?” Nayeon clarified, while wiping down her face with her shirt sleeve.

 

“The girl who died on the roof was a photographer too” Mina began. “You still used a flip phone, no one seemed to notice you at detention, and you only wanted to meet at the school, like you couldn’t leave. You never touched me, and your name wasn’t called at the end of detention.” As Mina listed everything out, she realized just how absurd her conclusion of Nayeon being a ghost really was. 

 

Nayeon sighed, shaking her head. “Me being a ghost is quite a leap to take. Superstitious much? Anyway, I can explain everything.” She motioned for the two girls to sit. Hanging their heads, they joined Nayeon in sitting on a wooden bench in the school lobby. 

 

“Where did you even _ get _ holy water?” Nayeon asked, staring at the empty glass vial Momo was still clutching in her hands.

 

“You’d be surprised at how easy it is to find,” Momo replied, vaguely. Nayeon didn’t know whether she should be impressed or creeped out.

 

“So, to address all your concerns—the girl who died here years ago obviously wasn’t me. I thought that was just some scary story people told around here, but it’s legit?” Nayeon looked to Momo, who simply nodded. 

 

“Like I said in detention, I just don’t have the money to afford a legit smartphone. Yeah, it sucks, but I’m saving up for this private school I’m going to after I graduate. Tuition’s expensive but I got accepted for early admission and it’s my dream school.” A smile began to form on Nayeon’s face as she said this—she was clearly proud of herself, as she should be.

 

“People probably don’t really pay attention to me in detention cause I’m there so often,” Nayeon admitted. “To tell you the truth, I don’t actually have detention everyday, I just choose to be there.” 

 

Mina pursed her lips but remained silent, wanting to hear more.

 

“It’s kind of embarrassing to talk about,” Nayeon began, scratching her head absentmindedly. “I just don’t like being home. I try to avoid it when I can. It’s...not a good place for me to be right now. You see my parents are...well, they just make things difficult for me. That’s why I avoid going home after school. I’ve never really been into sports, so that’s why I haven’t joined any teams, and the people in the art club annoy me, so I didn’t really belong anywhere else. The teachers know my situation, but they told me I need some sort of supervision staying after school so, I figured the peace and quiet of detention was nice.”

 

Mina could feel her heart aching for the girl sitting next to her, wanting but failing to find the right words to say to try to provide some comfort to Nayeon. It made her feel even worse about the fact that Momo had just thrown water in her face.

 

Nayeon could sense the sympathy radiating off of Mina and Momo both, so she held up a hand, as if to silence their racing thoughts. “Hey, you don’t need to look at me like that. It’s okay, I’m fine.”

 

Momo nodded, and then her eyes widened, realizing she hadn’t apologized yet. “I’m sorry I threw water at you! My family is superstitious so I just wanted to make sure my girlfriend wasn’t about to get possessed or something.” 

 

(Wait. Girlfriend. As in Mina. As in her friend Mina? The girl sitting right here, next to her? Who was very much _not_ her girlfriend?)

 

“...did I just say girlfriend? I...I meant Mina. Not my girlfriend.” Momo stood up abruptly, nearly making an already bright red Mina jump. 

 

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Momo assured, waving her hands a bit wildly, as she spoke to Nayeon. “Definitely not my girlfriend. We’re just friends.” She covered her face in her hands, wanting nothing more than to turn invisible. “Sorry. I don’t know why I said that. Anyway, I just remembered I forgot something in my locker so...you guys should go do that...what’s the word again? Umm, right! Photoshoot. Duh. You should just go do that without me. I mean Nayeon’s not a ghost so...you’ll be safe,” Momo said, looking at Mina, who just sat there in silence with her lips slightly parted. 

 

“Are you sure?” Nayeon asked, calmly—trying her best to remain cool and casual amid the clearly very awkward situation. 

 

“Yup. 100%. I’ll meet you in the foyer, when you’re done.” And with that, Momo began to scurry away, leaving Mina watching her go with a very confused expression on her face.

 

There was a long beat of silence.

 

“Your friend is interesting,” Nayeon finally said, eyes flicking in amusement from the hallway Momo had just turned down to Mina.

 

Mina turned back to Nayeon, feeling even more mortified than before. “She is.”

 

Another beat. 

 

“Should we head up there?” Nayeon asked. “Unless it still makes you uncomfortable?”

 

Mina fervently shook her head. “I was a little nervous before since I don’t like scary things but, nothing weird happened last time so it should be fine.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.” Nayeon stood up and winked at Mina.

 

Winked. 

 

Mina felt like choking for the second time within the past 5 minutes. 

 

Shaking her head and snapping out of it, she quickly stood up and began to follow Nayeon, who was already starting to walk in the direction of the rooftop entrance door.

 

“Momo’s not my girlfriend,” Mina said, falling in step with Nayeon. The need to clarify that was just too great for Mina to ignore. 

 

Nayeon smiled at that. “I know.”

 

God, what was going through Momo’s head? Mina had wanted to run up on check on her. It was surely just a mistake, right? I mean, people accidentally misspoke all the time. This was clearly one of those times…

 

“Maybe she wants to be your girlfriend, though,” Nayeon continued, nonchalantly.

 

Mina gulped. She had been afraid of that. “N-no,” Mina replied. “She just misspoke. I mean, she’s my best friend here.”

 

“I’m just teasing, sorry. Force of habit. It’s none of my business.” There was no emotion interwoven into Nayeon’s words at all. 

 

The rest of the walk to the rooftop door was silent. 

 

“I’m sorry about all that ghost business.” Mina crossed her arms and looked apologetically at Nayeon, who set down her camera bag on the ground. “We’re both really dumb.”

 

Nayeon tsked and gave Mina an easy smile. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll be a fun story to tell.”

 

“Right. The time the new girl’s friend threw holy water in your face because she thought you were a ghost. That’ll make you super popular at all the parties.”

 

“I already am super popular,” Nayeon quipped, smile changing into a smirk. 

 

And just like that, the comfort atmosphere of their time spent together yesterday returned. Both girls were thankful for the shift, releasing the breath they’d both been holding. 

 

(Neither one of them had realized the other was doing the same, of course.)

 

“I’m not the best at posing,” Mina mumbled, already shy to see the delicate looking camera Nayeon held in her hands.

 

“It’s okay, that’s why I’m here. Just do what I tell you to.” 

 

Mina raised an eyebrow, and Nayeon gave the girl a devilish grin, before she raised the camera to her right eye while squinting her left. 

 

“Just move a bit to your right. There, perfect. Turn a bit so you’re looking out that way. Yup, you got it.” 

 

Nayeon stepped closer, so that Mina’s partial side profile was in frame. The lack of distance between them was a bit surprising to Mina. After all, she hadn’t really expected close-ups to be taken.

 

As Nayeon fiddled with the settings on the camera, Mina said “You’re gonna let me see these when they’re developed, right?”

 

Nayeon, still totally focused on the image on her viewfinder, gave her an affirming hum. “Now, stay still.”

 

There was a click, and Nayeon cheered to herself, stepping back and giving Mina a happy grin. “You’ll like that one. Your hair contrasts really well with the sky.”

 

Mina looked up, following Nayeon’s gaze at the expansive, cloudless sky before them. 

 

“It’s really a perfect day for this,” Nayeon murmured—eyes shining. “I lucked out. Thanks again for agreeing to do this for me.”

 

“It’s nothing, I’m happy to help.” She was truly happy to help. Even only knowing Nayeon for such a short bit of time, she enjoyed the older girl’s company, and it was refreshing to know she’d found another friend. 

 

Being the new kid in school was always nerve-wracking. Mina wished the prospect of moving her life from Japan to America hadn’t been a big deal—that it was an exciting, new adventure—but truthfully, when her parents dropped the news on her, she was incredibly upset. After all, she had to leave her childhood home and friends to go off to a place she’d never been before. 

 

In fact, she was very vocal with her protests to her parents. She wasn’t shy about letting them know how much she didn’t want this, but with her dad’s promotion, it couldn’t be helped. Despite everything, she’d found Momo in the end, and that life in America wasn’t actually that bad. 

 

Being quiet, it was hard to make friends, so she was thankful for those extroverted enough to strike up a conversation with her. Even if that conversation had been psychoanalysing her background very inaccurately.

 

(At the thought of the first few things Nayeon had said to her, Mina couldn’t help but smile.)

 

Click. 

 

Another picture had been taken without Mina even realizing it. She’d been too engrossed in her own thoughts to notice Nayeon looking through her viewfinder, aiming the camera lense at her.

 

“Your smile is...photogenic,” Nayeon replied, chuckling at Mina’s now wide eyes, as the camera flash had startled her. “Candid shots sometimes turn out the prettiest. I like capturing things in the moment.”

 

“You sound so artsy,” Mina mused, pretending that Nayeon saying she had a photogenic smile didn’t make her breath catch slightly. She had to remind herself she had literally just met Nayeon—rushing into anything wouldn’t be wise.

 

Nayeon stepped back a bit to get a wide angle shot. “As long as I don’t sound pretentious, I’ll take that as a compliment.” 

 

There was a bit of silence again—comfortable silence this time, though. The sound of students below walking to the parking lot, and cars driving past the school, floated up like melodic background noise. The slight breeze tickled Mina’s bare arms, and she bristled slightly, wishing she brought a jacket.

 

“Just a few more shots,” Nayeon replied, noticing how Mina’s body had tensed up in an attempt to stay warm. 

 

Nayeon was determined to get a good range of coverage—close ups and even extreme wides. “Now, look that way…”

 

They finished up the photoshoot shortly after. Nayeon packed away her camera while Mina checked her phone, half expecting to see an anxious text from Momo, only there was nothing.

 

“I owe you and Momo both a meal at some point,” Nayeon replied, seeing Mina squinting down at the phone screen in her hands. 

 

It sounded nice, but for some reason the thought of her being with Momo and Nayeon at the same time made her slightly nervous. “Don’t worry about it,” Mina assured, slipping her phone into the back pocket of her jean shorts. “This was Momo’s favor to me for getting detention in her place.” 

 

“What about you though? At least let me repay you.” Nayeon looked at Mina expectantly, and then began to lead the way to the door. 

 

“Maybe lunch sometime, or dinner. Bring me to your favorite restaurant around here. There’s still a lot of options I haven’t tried yet.” Momo had only brought her to a few places, being very loyal to them and insisting that they were the best in town. 

 

“Options are limited but sure, let’s do next weekend. I know a good coffee spot. You do like coffee, right?” 

 

“Definitely. With lots of sugar and cream though, not black.” They were down the stairs now, headed back toward the lobby to find Momo. 

 

Nayeon gave Mina an approving nod. The easy-going atmosphere was slowly slipping away the closer they got to the lobby. Mina was dreading riding home in the car with Momo, not sure how to approach the topic of her slip up early. 

 

“Hey, you know it’ll be okay, right?” Nayeon replied, as if reading Mina’s thoughts. She had stopped abruptly, taking Mina’s wrist in her hand and stopping the other girl as well. “You can text me if you need to talk to someone about it.” 

 

(Mina wasn’t sure she wanted to totally open up to Nayeon, but at the same time, the only other person she had to vent to about things was Momo...and considering this was about Momo herself…)

 

“Thanks.” Mina gave Nayeon’s hand a small squeeze before the two continued on. Sure enough, there was Momo pacing about the lobby. When she saw Mina and Nayeon approaching, she awkwardly waved.

 

“All done?” Momo asked. It appeared the girl didn’t know what to do with her hands, sticking them in her pockets, running them through her hair, taking out her phone.

 

(Mina knew in that moment that the car ride home would be as awkward as she feared.)

 

“Yup, I got some great shots. Mina is truly model material. I mean, her hair, anyway, is perfect,” Nayeon mumbled, nervously putting her right hand behind her head and letting out a small laugh.

 

“Thanks,” Mina replied, blushing slightly. “So just let me know when you wanna grab coffee.”

 

Nayeon nodded. “Sure, now let’s get out of here.” The three girls walked out of the lobby together. Momo’s car, along with another beat up looking one Mina assumed was Nayeon’s, were two of the only cars in the lot. “Thanks again, get home safe. When the pictures are developed I’ll show them to you,” Nayeon said, waving as Mina and Momo trudged off in the direction of Momo’s car.

 

The ride home was silent at first, with only pop radio playing over Mina and Momo’s racing thoughts. It surely wasn’t enough to block them out, though.

 

“Hey, you know what I said back there,” Momo began.

 

(Here we go.)

 

Mina shifted her eyes to look at her older friend, whose face was still facing the road. Momo’s brows were furrowed, and her nose was slightly scrunched up. Mina had come to learn that Momo made this face when she was nervous, or thinking about something carefully.

 

(What are you thinking so hard about, Momoring?)

 

“That was just a slip up. What’s the word for a typo but verbal?”

 

A small smile tugged at Mina’s lips. “You just misspoke. That’s okay, I knew you did.”

 

Momo sighed with relief, allowing herself to relax into a grin as well. Her face however remained redder than normal, and her heart was beating unusually fast. 

 

_ Traitor _ , she thought, scolding her heart. 


	3. Now That I've Found You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mina and Nayeon meet at a cafe.

“So what do you think?” Nayeon asked, extending her arms to encompass the whole cafe. Mina and her had just walked into the cozy little place, sounding the bell tied above the door. “Pretty chic, right?”

It had been a week since the photoshoot, and Mina had taken Nayeon up on the offer to take her out in thanks for being her subject. As Nayeon developed the film, she had taken pictures of her progress and sent the results to Mina. Delighted to see Nayeon actually had a good eye for photography after all, Mina wondered if Nayeon would let her keep some of the prints after they were turned in for a grade. 

Mina let her eyes wander around the cafe, admiring the atmosphere. It was true, the place was pretty cool, and Mina couldn’t help but feel relief that there was a cafe like this in her new home. 

“I like it,” Mina replied, giving Nayeon a nod. Excitement was radiating from Nayeon, whose eyes were shining at Mina in anticipation of her answer. For some reason it made Mina’s heart do something fidgety, as if it had a mind of its own. She quickly turned away. 

Nayeon smirked at Mina’s reaction. Making the younger girl shy was oddly satisfying, and made her own heart do something fidgety as well. She ignored that, though, leading the way to the register, where they could make their order. 

“Two medium Americanos, please,” Nayeon said to the woman behind the counter without any sign of hesitation. 

Mina raised an eyebrow, surprised at Nayeon’s confidence. “Do you want to try any of their pastries? The cinnamon rolls are delicious.”

Mina shook her head. “I’m just in the mood for coffee,” she explained. “Thanks, though.”

Nayeon handed the woman some change and spun around to face Mina again with a lazy smile.

“It’s bold of you to assume I like Americanos,” Mina stated, crossing her arms and giving Nayeon a small smile back.

“Did I assume wrong?” she challenged—smile turning smug. “Besides, that’s the best drink here. You’ll thank me after your first sip.”

Mina scoffed and bit her lip, rolling her eyes. She wasn’t used to this kind of banter—in fact, she wasn’t used to hanging out with someone so...like Nayeon. Compared to Momo, Nayeon was more sure-footed and snappy. 

“So, tell me more about you,” Nayeon said. The two girls shuffled over to the left near the pick up window as they waited for their orders.

Mina shrugged. “What do you want to know?”

“Why did you move here, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“My dad’s work brought him here from Japan,” Mina replied. “I didn’t want to leave…” her voice trailed off.

Nayeon’s face softened as she regarded Mina’s sad tone. “I can’t imagine how hard it was to leave everything behind. As small and boring as this town is, it’s home. I can’t wait to get out of here though. I’m going to a college in LA after I graduate.”

Just taking a look at Nayeon’s shining eyes, Mina could tell how excited she was. “That’s amazing,” Mina praised, and she caught a glimpse of Nayeon’s large front teeth in her smile. It was adorable how the older girl couldn’t seem to contain her excitement. 

For some reason though, Mina’s stomach dropped at the thought of Nayeon moving away, even though they had just met. Were they even friends yet? Mina considered the status of their relationship as Nayeon graciously took two cups of coffee from the barista with a smile. 

Yes, Mina supposed they were friends.

“Let’s take the window seat.” Nayeon lifted a finger and pointed to the open table with bar stools near the window in the front of the shop. 

As the girls sat down and scooched their stools in, the front door chimed and in walked a pretty blonde girl who looked about Mina and Nayeon’s age. She was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans that looked to be some sort of designer brand. Not so subtly, the girl began to scan the cafe, clearly looking for someone. Mina, who was watching the girl, suddenly heard Nayeon groan under her breath.

Sure enough, the girl gasped excitedly when she spotted Nayeon and Mina, and scurried over in an almost mouse-like fashion. “Nayeon!!!” she squealed, smiling from ear to ear. 

“Sana,” Nayeon huffed, clearly not sharing her excitement. “Fancy seeing you here, at the exact time I told you I was gonna be here.” 

Mina was sure she spotted a bit of pink flushing Nayeon’s cheeks. 

“Oh!” Sana faked her innocence, wearing a polite smile. “Your date’s today!” She looked between Mina and Nayeon expectantly. “I totally forgot about that.”

Nayeon nearly spit out her coffee. “It’s not a date,” she clarified, flashing Sana a threatening glare.

“You must be Mina,” Sana said, ignoring Nayeon’s statement entirely. She shot Mina a dazzling grin and stuck out her hand. Mina shook it and smiled back. “Nayeon told me all about you—her new muse.” 

Nayeon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “I told her I was taking pictures of you for my class,” she muttered to Mina.

Mina couldn’t help but chuckle at the awkward situation, causing Nayeon’s frown to lift slightly. Sana’s eyes lit up at the sound of Mina’s soft laughter, and she gave Nayeon an approving smile. 

“I’m Nayeon’s best friend,” Sana explained to Mina, who had begun blowing on her Americano, which was still too hot to drink. “We’ve basically been tied at the hip since freshman year.”

Nayeon leaned across the table, closer to Mina. “She was assigned to be my lab partner in earth science and got a golf ball stuck in a graduated cylinder. We got points marked off on our lab for it.”

This time it was Sana’s turn to scoff. “It seemed like it was gonna fit!” she whined. 

“Ever since then, I’ve been getting dragged into all her messes,” Nayeon added, tsking and shaking her head. 

Sana pouted for a moment, but quickly pulled out her warm smile once again, looking at Nayeon fondly. 

Mina was smiling too, looking back and forth between the girls. Their banter reminded Mina of her relationship with her best friends from home. 

There was a moment of silence, and Mina’s eyes widened as she realized she’d gotten lost in thought. “You should join us!” she quickly demanded, gesturing for Sana to pull up a chair. The girl had just been standing, and it seemed rude to let her loiter any longer, especially with her being Nayeon’s best friend.

Nayeon narrowed her eyes at Sana, who ignored the dirty look and beamed at Mina. “I’d love to! Let me order first and I’ll pull up a chair.”

Sana spun around and waltzed over to the register. Nayeon was all but ready to punch the wall, but quickly put on a smile as Mina turned back around to face her. After all, this wasn’t a date. It was just two friends getting coffee. Another person joining shouldn’t be the end of the world… and yet…

“She seems great,” Mina replied, noticing Nayeon’s eyes on her best friend’s back as she ordered at the counter. 

“She’s a real pain in my ass sometimes, but yeah, she is,” Nayeon confirmed. “Sorry if this is awkward for you…”

“No, no,” Mina assured, waving her hand dismissively. “Honestly I’d like to get to know more people from school. I’m not exactly the best at finding excuses to make conversation,” she explained, sounding almost sad. 

And suddenly, any anger Nayeon had at Sana for interrupting her kind-of-sort-of-date evaporated, and Nayeon wanted nothing more than for Mina to have all the friends in the world. “I’m glad I initiated one with you during detention, then,” Nayeon replied. “Although I was a bit of an asshole...sorry about that.”

Looking amused, Mina shook her head. “You definitely know how to get someone’s attention. I’m glad we met. Even though you did bring me to a haunted roof. There aren’t any more haunted places in the school I should know about, are there?”

A mischievous twinkle lit up Nayeon’s eyes. “Actually, you know the women’s bathroom—“

“I love how fast they are here!” Sana’s high pitched voice interrupted the lie Nayeon was about to fabricate. “This really is the best coffee spot in town, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“I really like it, it’s cute. The Americano is really good too,” Mina replied.

“Told you so.” Nayeon gave Mina a quick wink. Blinking a few times, as if trying to fully process the sight of that, Mina shook her head and immediately raised her coffee cup to her mouth, taking a small sip. 

“So Mina, you’re from Japan, right?” Sana asked.

“Yeah, just moved here recently.”

Sana scooched forward in her seat. “My family is from Japan too! I’ve lived in the US all my life, though.”

Mina raised an eyebrow. “Can you speak Japanese?”

Sana responded with a phrase Nayeon couldn’t understand. Whatever it was made Mina giggle. They went back and forth a few times in Japanese, with Nayeon watching in silence. There was a gross feeling bubbling up in the back of Nayeon’s mind—something like uncalled-for jealousy.

Noticing the pout that had formed on Nayeon’s face, Mina quickly switched back to English. 

“Don’t feel left out!” Sana reached across the table to pinch one of Nayeon’s cheeks. The brunette swatted her friend’s hand away, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like a curse.

“But yes, to answer your question, Momo gives me rides to and from school. I actually only live a block away from her,” Mina said, answering something Sana had asked her in Japanese. At the sound of Momo’s name, Nayeon suddenly leaned forward. 

She’d been wondering how things had been between Momo and Mina after Momo’s little mistake last week. Nayeon had felt bad for the girl, honestly. If she really did have any feelings for Mina, that was one of the worst accidental ways to come forward about it. Mina hadn’t updated Nayeon on the situation, nor asked to talk to her about it, so Nayeon had left it alone.

That didn’t stop the curiosity plaguing away at her though. 

(If Momo liked Mina, did that mean Mina liked her too? And why did Nayeon even care, anyway?)

“Hirai Momo? Oh yeah, I know who she is.” Sana rested her chin on her hand, face morphing into a smug look Nayeon knew all too well. Sana made it her priority to know everyone in their school, for both pure and not-so-innocent reasons. “I’m sure she knows who I am, too.”

It was a fair assumption, to give Sana credit. Everyone in their school knew Minatozaki Sana. Everyone except an apparently very oblivious and uninterested Momo, that is. But, Mina would find that out later. For now, she took Sana’s word for it, and made a mental note to ask Momo about it when she got home. 

“Maybe you could introduce me to her formally, sometime?” Sana suggested, as innocently as ever.

Nayeon almost snorted, thinking back to their many conversations where Sana couldn’t stop gushing about how good Momo looked in her tracksuit—and her running shorts. Sana had actually been on the track team for all of one year—and Nayeon had to commend the girl for actually trying—but one year was enough for her. Anyway, that’s how Momo had fallen under Sana’s radar.

Mina, being totally unaware of Sana’s rather well-known reputation for being the school’s resident flirt, nodded seriously. “Of course, I’d love to introduce you to her.” 

Sana beamed. After Nayeon gave the girl a swift kick under the table, Sana grabbed her frappuccino and leaned back in her seat. “Well, I should be going. Got a few errands to run. I’ll leave you two alone. It was nice meeting you, Mina.” 

Mina stood up quickly, and the two girls shook hands again. 

“I’m serious though, the four of us should all get together sometime. You, me, Nayeon and Momo.” Sana gave Mina a wink, and the younger girl looked at the ground in embarrassment. What was up with all the winking today? 

“Okay,” Mina said quietly, bringing her eyes back up to see Sana hadn’t stopped staring with that lovely look on her face.

Nayeon saluted her friend, not getting up from her seat. “See you tomorrow.” 

“Thanks for letting me join you two,” Sana sang, before sauntering out the door with her coffee in hand. The bell tied above the front door rang out melodically as Mina and Nayeon watched Sana walk toward her car out the cafe window. 

Nayeon let out a breath of relief. “I can’t stand her. And I say that with all the love in the world.”

 

The two girls had finished their drinks shortly after Sana had left, and after chatting about a few more things, they decided it was time to head home. 

Before they’d left though, Mina had shown Nayeon approximately 5 different pictures of the apparent love of her life—her dog, Ray. Nayeon noticed the other girl’s voice rose in pitch significantly when talking about him. It made her seem like a giddy child. This observation made the tips of Nayeon’s ears turn red as she realized she was more focused on the dopey smile on Mina’s face than the pictures of the very cute dog in front of her. 

Nayeon had picked Mina up to take her to the cafe, so naturally she gave her a ride home as well. Her car, looking quite old and worn, happened to smell quite fresh on the inside. She prided herself with keeping it as clean as possible.

“I know Karen doesn’t look like much,” Nayeon had said to Mina when she’d first gotten in the car, “but she got me all the way to the 106.7 music fest last year. She’s never let me down.” Mina wasn’t sure whether or not she should be more weirded out by the fact that Nayeon had named her car in the first place, or that the name she’d given the car was that of a middle-aged soccer mom. Either way, despite “Karen” being a bit loud and lurchy, she did in fact get Mina and Nayeon to their destination, so Mina couldn’t really complain. 

After Nayeon and Mina had said their goodbyes, consisting of a bright “thank you” from Mina and a rushed “of course, I’d be happy to take you out anytime,” from Nayeon, Nayeon drove off, watching Mina wave to her from her rear-view mirror.

The fact that Mina had waved to her enthusiastically until she disappeared down the street tugged at Nayeon’s heart strings. It was official—her new friend was adorable. Goddamit, Sana was not gonna let her hear the end of this. 

Sure enough, the first text from Sana that Nayeon received later that day was:

If you don’t jump on that, I will. ;)

 

Left alone to her own devices, Mina had texted Momo that she was free for the rest of the day. Momo had suggested they have a movie night sleepover and order Chinese take-out. Curled up on the couch in her living room, Mina and Momo were watching some Netflix original while eating—some movie neither one of them really cared about. 

“So I met this girl Sana, one of Nayeon’s friends,” Mina began.

Momo didn’t take her eyes off the screen, slurping a noodle into her mouth, loudly. 

“She said she knew you,” Mina continued. Again, this got no reaction from Momo. “She said you knew her, too.”

Momo finished chewing on a dumpling before she turned her head to face Mina, who was looking at her expectantly.

“Sana?” Momo repeated. 

Mina nodded.

Momo pressed her lips together and scrunched her nose, thinking. “Nope.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know her.” Momo shrugged. She scooped up another dumpling and dropped it into her mouth in one bite.

“That’s surprising,” Mina hummed. “She has blonde hair, and she’s really pretty.”

Momo stopped chewing. “Blonde hair and pretty,” she said, with her mouth still full. “That really narrows things down.” 

Mina swatted her friend playfully, who gave her a goofy grin in return. “Anyway, she wants the four of us to all meet up. I told her that would be fun, since Nayeon and Sana both seem really nice.” Momo bristled slightly at Nayeon’s name being brought up, but Mina didn’t notice. 

“Yeah, sure,” Momo said. “Any day after practice, I’m down. As long as it’s not on the roof.” 

It was settled, then. Mina texted Nayeon, who gave her Sana’s number just so the three could stay connected. They even made a little group chat for the three of them. It was mostly Sana and Nayeon going back and forth, but Mina enjoyed it nonetheless. 

They set up a Wednesday afternoon to meet for dinner once Momo got out of track practice and Sana from student council (apparently she was the secretary for their class, which did not surprise Mina in the slightest). Mina, Nayeon and Sana stood outside the school entrance, waiting on Momo. 

“She should be done any minute now,” Mina assured, watching as she saw a few track kids migrating to the parking lot from the field. 

Sana was oddly fidgety, bouncing up and down on her heels, while Nayeon silently judged her. Mina raised an eyebrow.

“She’s convinced Momo is her soulmate or something,” Nayeon explained, rolling her eyes. Sana stopped bouncing and smacked her friend on the arm. 

“I just want to make a good impression,” Sana said to Mina, giving her a casual smile. 

Before Mina could say anything, she saw Nayeon give a small wave, and sure enough, a slightly sweaty Momo was bounding over. She was wearing her red sweatpants with her matching zip up tied around her waist, and a white tank top underneath. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Momo mumbled, giving the group a shy grin.

“It wasn’t a problem at all, Sana just got out of student council anyway,” Nayeon replied. She turned to her friend, who was looking anywhere but Momo. She was being...shy? Nayeon couldn’t wait to lay into her about it as soon as the two were alone. 

“Oh, Momo, this is Sana.” Mina gestured from Momo to Sana, and Momo gave a polite nod. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sana said, giving the other girl a sweet smile. Momo tilted her head slightly, thinking the girl looked slightly familiar. She must’ve seen her around the hallways at school. Their school wasn’t huge, but big enough where it was difficult to know every single classmate. 

“I was on the track team for a year,” Sana said, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. “It wasn’t for me but, I remember you were amazing.” The blonde was positively glowing, looking up at Momo through hooded lashes.

Momo’s eyes were wide. She was a bit embarrassed she didn’t remember a previous teammate. She bit her tongue, trying to think of something polite to say. Then she remembered—a small and quirky little brunette, two years ago. Momo had been so determined then to make it to states, it was almost as if she had horse blinders on for that entire season. But yes, Sana had been there—offering her water, cheering extra loudly for her at meets…

Momo had made it to states, but she’d only been left with memories of running, running running...and nothing more. After that year, when she’d made her mark and impressed the track coach, she had eased up a bit and let herself enjoy the sport more. A bit of blush tickled Momo’s cheeks, feeling bad that her past self might have been a bit dismissive of past Sana. Sana had obviously grown since then, considering the girl was now taller than her. 

“Thanks, I try my best. I, uh, remember you too,” Momo said. 

“Alright, so we’re meeting there, right?” Nayeon asked. 

Momo fished her car keys out of her bag. “Yeah, I’ll drive Mina and see you guys there,” Momo confirmed.

The group parted ways.

“I was on the track team for a year,” Nayeon said, mimicking Sana once the two climbed into her car. She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked at the steering wheel. 

Sana crossed her arms and pouted. “Shut up!” 

Laughing, Nayeon started the car. “I’ve never seen you like that before. Has Minatozaki Sana finally met her match?”

The car turned onto the main road, and Sana scoffed. “It’s not my fault she was wearing her tracksuit...and I mean, did you see how toned her arms are?” 

Nayeon shook her head. “Just remember what I told you,” she warned. “Momo definitely has the hots for Mina.” 

“And so do you.”

Nayeon gripped the steering wheel harder, gritting her teeth. “Whatever,” she mumbled. Reaching forward, she turned on the radio. 

“We’re a mess, the four of us,” Sana mused. “What’s that play, Midsummer Night, or whatever?”

“Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Nayeon corrected. “But you’re forgetting we don’t know where Mina stands yet.”

“Guess we’ll find out more tonight.” Sana leaned back against her seat. “But for now, I’ll bet on you.”

 

“So you do know her?” Mina replied, breaking the silence as Momo stopped her car at a red light. 

Momo looked sheepish, glancing over at her curious friend. “Seeing her face I remembered her, but she looks different now.” 

Mina nodded, satisfied with the answer. “Thanks for coming along. I think we’ll have fun, the four of us.”

Bopping her head to the music, Momo agreed. “Sure, I mean this place has the best chicken in town so, at least my stomach will be satisfied.”

Truthfully, the thought of being with Nayeon again was somewhat embarrassing. She could live with making a fool of herself in front of Mina, who she considered already one of her closest friends, but Nayeon was a stranger...a stranger who was very clearly interested in the girl that she liked.

Yes, Momo liked Mina. She’d come to terms with that recently. It was an inconvenience, more than anything. Not because of who Mina was, but who she was in relation to Momo already. They were friends. In fact, Momo was Mina’s first friend at her new school. Feelings meant complications—complications Mina didn’t need right now. If anything were to go wrong between her and Mina, Mina would be left alone. So, Momo decided, she would never jeporadize her friendship with Mina over a stupid crush. 

It was getting harder though. Harder and harder every day, especially with Nayeon in the mix. Momo had tried to pull it out of Mina whether she had any feelings for the older girl, but Mina was seemingly determined to be as vague and unclear as possible. Momo supposed that was because she didn’t know how she was feeling herself. Whatever the case, she knew what Nayeon’s intentions were, and whatever ended up happening, Momo would be there for Mina.

“Thanks, Momo.”

At the sound of her name, Momo’s eyes wandered to Mina, who had been looking at her.  
“For what?”

Mina just smiled, one of her tight-lipped ones. “For being friends with the new kid. You kind of took me in, like a lost puppy.”

Momo swallowed. “Where did that come from?”

“I was just thinking...as I make new friends, I just want you to know that I’ll always be grateful that you were the first one to reach out to me. I’m not very talkative, you know? I was scared and...you made things less scary.”

Biting her lip was all Momo could do to stop from letting out a huge “aww.” She wanted to wrap the girl into a huge hug, but that would have to wait until they got to the restaurant. “You softie,” was all she murmured, shyly. “Well, I’m glad I could help. It’s not like I have many friends either, and I’ve been here my whole life.”

“I think you only ever need a few good friends. As long as they know you—and know your heart, you will be happy.”

God, Mina was not making any of this easy for Momo.

 

Both cars arrived at the restaurant at almost the same time, with Momo arriving a minute later due to Nayeon’s more aggressive driving style. Getting put into a booth, Mina and Momo sat next to one another while Nayeon and Sana took the other side. Facing each other, there was a bit of an awkward silence as the menu was being browsed over, until Sana quickly began a conversation. 

“So, how did you two meet?” Sana asked, looking between Mina and Momo. 

The girls looked at one another. “We’re in trig together,” Mina replied. 

“I just noticed she was new and decided to say hello,” Momo added. Mina had looked lonely, honestly. It tugged at her heart strings, and she had wanted to make the new kid feel welcome. “Also, I’m not the best at math so it was nice to have a friend in class to help.”

Nayeon looked up from her menu and raised her eyebrows. “Enjoy trig while it lasts, because calculus is even worse, I promise you.”

“Yeah, Nayeon here is an old lady—a whole year older.” Sana snickered. 

Rolling her eyes, Nayeon shrugged. “Older and wiser, they say.”

“How were you two in the same class then?” Mina asked, remembering Nayeon’s Earth Science story.

Clearing her throat, Sana explained: “I skipped a year when I was in elementary school, so I’m actually a senior despite being your age.” 

Both Mina and Momo raised their eyebrows, clearly impressed.

“I’m not a genius or anything,” Sana assured. “My parents just read to me a lot as a kid so, I was kind of good at reading.” 

“She’s being modest,” Nayeon remarked. 

Momo let out a little gasp. “So that’s why we haven’t been in any of the same classes!”

Sana nodded, giving Momo a pleasant smile. “It’s a shame, I’m sure we would’ve had fun together.” There was some of the flair Nayeon recognized as Sana in her natural element. It seemed she was starting to get past her initial shyness. Nayeon almost laughed to herself, knowing Momo was surely in for an interesting night. 

Mina might have been oblivious to the fact that Sana had a thing for Momo before, but now there were alarm bells going off in her head. Not the bad kind, just alarms of surprise. 

Momo, on the other hand, remained painfully oblivious, and wrote it off as friendly behavior. 

The waiter came to take their order, and set down glasses of water for them all. Once he was gone, Mina asked: “Have you made any plans for college then, Sana, since you’re graduating as well?” 

“I’m going to LA with this one,” Sana replied, nudging Nayeon. “She got me to fall in love with the city too.”

“You’d miss me too much if you went anywhere else,” Nayeon teased, giving Sana a playful smile as she clung onto the girl’s arm. 

“So she tells herself,” Sana replied, making Momo giggle. “We’re going to different colleges but at least they’re in the same city.” 

The rest of their time there went great—it seemed the four girls vibed well together. Nayeon became less intimidating to Momo as the girl opened up, and seemed more like a friend than a threat. Sana remained playful, making Mina blush more than once, but Momo was more defensive and unaffected by anything Sana threw her way.

Perhaps it was her loyalty toward Mina, or perhaps it was how uneasily flustered she actually was. Sana would later realize it was a bit of both. 

And Nayeon and Mina—their back and forth quips seemed to evolve into more soft and warm exchanges. For whatever reason, Mina was able to break down any walls Nayeon had up, and Sana could only watch with amusement as she saw the way Nayeon regarded the younger girl across the table.

But then something would happen—a loud noise from another table, even something Momo said, and Nayeon would snap back into her prickly, sarcastic mode. What was she so afraid of?

After finishing their meals, with Mina and Sana taking leftovers home, the 4 got up to pay at the register individually. As Momo was paying, a large group of people entered from outside, trying to squeeze into the small entrance. 

Nayeon instinctually gripped Mina’s wrist, pulling her out of the way of the group of people looking for space to stand. It was the first time, Nayeon realized, that she’d actually touched Mina since they’d met.

She opened her mouth to apologize, but then settled on closing it. Mina seemed to pay it no mind, in fact she looked more embarrassed to have been in the other people’s way in the first place. The two girls made eye contact and there was an understanding between them.

Their hearts both fidgeted once again. 

The rest of the girls finished paying their bills and exited to the cool, fall air. It felt good, after standing in the slightly stuffy restaurant. “That was fun,” Nayeon replied, sticking her hands into her pockets.

“Let’s do something again sometime,” Sana added. “Momo, when’s your next track meet?”

“It’s sectionals, actually. Next weekend.”

“I’ll be there, to cheer you on,” Mina confirmed. 

Sana threaded her arm through Mina’s. “I’ll make sure my schedule is clear so we can both cheer Momo on. Her own little cheerleading squad.” 

The sudden proximately to Sana had Mina’s heart pounding slightly faster. She couldn’t help but look at Nayeon, who wore a neutral expression on her face. 

“I’ll come too. I hated cheerleading camp when I was 5, but as long as I don’t have to actually lift people, I’ll be the loudest goddamn cheerleader you’ve ever heard,” Nayeon said. Taking Sana’s lead, she stepped forward and linked her arm around Mina’s free one. 

Momo looked embarrassed at the sudden attention. “You guys that’s nice but, you really don’t have to come. Track meets are long and boring and—”

“It’s sectionals, it’s a big deal, Momo,” Mina assured. “I could use the company, anyway,” she said, glancing up at Nayeon next to her. 

Truthfully, Mina was kind of dreading sitting through sectionals, as it would involve sitting and waiting for hours, but now the idea seemed...fun. 

The thought of spending more time with Nayeon and Sana both made her more giddy than she wanted to admit. Part of her thought getting too attached was probably a bad idea, but she ignored it. She let herself trust them, and it felt good.

 

Nayeon and Mina met again for coffee after school. It had been Mina’s idea actually, since she knew Nayeon liked to avoid going home after school. “And it beats sitting in detention,” Mina had told her, as they walked together down a hallway at school in-between classes. 

They had coordinated walking to third period together, since they discovered their classes were adjacent to one another. A lot of students waved at Nayeon, and Mina by association. It felt odd to wander the halls and not feel like a ghost—someone everyone knew was there, yet chose to ignore. The first few days of attending the new school had been a lot of scrutinizing glances and whispers, but now it seemed the atmosphere was more friendly. It was nice.

“I was thinking, after getting coffee, maybe you could come over?” Mina continued.

Nayeon’s eyes widened before she quickly contained her surprise and wore a neutral expression once again. “Like, to your house?”

“For dinner, yeah. My dad always works late but my mom is making some traditional Japanese dishes. I think you’d really enjoy them.”

They were standing outside of their classrooms now, with Mina looking up at Nayeon shyly. 

“Um, yeah…” Nayeon began, gripping her books to her chest more tightly.

Mina bit her lip, laughing awkwardly. “Sorry, this was probably way too forward of me. It would be super awkward for you, I’m sure. I just figured after dinner we could play my switch, or watch a movie or—”

Nayeon put a finger to Mina’s lips, instantly shushing her. The younger girl gulped, nearly going cross-eyed as she focused on the finger in front of her. “You ramble when you’re nervous,” Nayeon observed. “No, it sounds lovely. I’d...I’d love to. Thanks for the invite. I just need to let my mom know I won’t be coming home for dinner.”

The two girls stood for a moment in weighted silence—both girls internally screaming for different reasons. The bell rang over their heads, signaling third period had started and saving them both from any more awkwardness. “See ya,” Nayeon called, giving Mina a dorky salute before ducking into her classroom. Mina bounced on her heels a second more before she hurried into her own classroom. 

 

“You seem to be in an awfully good mood,” Sana replied, turning around in her desk to catch Nayeon in the middle of a dopey smile. Nayeon sat behind Sana in AP Literature and often enjoyed kicking Sana’s chair until she’d turn around and glare. Their teacher had finished their lesson up early today, and so they were given free time for the last five minutes of class. 

The smile dropped from Nayeon’s face as soon as Sana faced her. “What are you talking about?”

“Every time I look back at you you’re smiling like an idiot.” 

Nayeon rolled her eyes. “I am...not…” Nayeon’s voice trailed off as she checked her phone.

“Look, there it is again.”

“Huh?” Nayeon set her phone down and looked up at Sana. 

Like a cheetah waiting to pounce, Sana snatched Nayeon’s phone and scanned the girl’s screen. “So predictable.”

“Hey!” Nayeon whined. She reached forward wildly, scrambling to rip her phone from Sana’s hands.

“You’re really smiling that big just because you got a text from her, huh? Someone is whipped.”

Nayeon finally got a hold of her phone and quickly slipped it into her backpack, giving Sana a dirty look. “She invited me over for dinner tonight. At her house.”

“Her house?!” Sana said, a bit too loudly. The other students around them couldn’t help but stare. “Sorry. Her house?” She lowered her volume. “As in...the place where she lives. And sleeps...”

Nayeon nodded, looking at her friend smuggly. “After we grab coffee, she wants me to try her mom’s cooking.”

Sana fought the urge to suddenly stand and slam her hands onto Nayeon’s desk. “Oh my god? That’s like...a big deal. Meanwhile, Momo hasn’t responded to my text from this morning…”

Nayeon reached forward and softly patted her friend’s cheeks. “Don’t pout. You know Mina said Momo is bad at responding. Not used to them playing hard to get, are you?”

Sana huffed, blowing some hair out of her face in the process. “I’m proud of you. For real...you’re doing something right for once.” She was teasing, but Sana was seriously proud. It was nice to see Nayeon this happy. 

“More like I found someone right, for once,” Nayeon corrected. She felt her cheeks pulling into a grin again. “God, okay, you’re right about me smiling like an idiot, cause my cheeks actually hurt like hell. I can’t get carried away. This is just a friendly dinner. And I’m meeting her mom. So what?”

“Mm-hm. Totally friendly...nothing to get carried away about,” Sana repeated, but she was looking at Nayeon suggestively. “It’s the perfect opportunity for some kisses.” Sana puckered up her lips at Nayeon and smacked them together.

“Shut up,” Nayeon replied, smacking Sana’s hands that were resting on her desk.

 

Getting coffee went by like a blur. Suddenly Nayeon was driving Mina to her house, except instead of dropping the girl off, she’d be getting out with her. She didn’t feel the amount of nerves twisting in her stomach where justified for the very amiable, low-pressure situation.

Mina opened the front door to reveal a tidy house filled with tasty smells wafting from the kitchen. A small bark sounded, and Nayeon witnessed a small bundle of fur running toward her and Mina. It was Ray, Mina’s dog. His stubby legs made him sit quite low to the floor, making Nayeon laugh in delight. Mina quickly scooped up the dog in her arms, letting him lick her face once before scolding him and holding him near Nayeon. Nayeon rubbed his head, cooing at him.

Dinner was pleasant, and Mina’s mom was just as warm and friendly as her daughter. The food was amazing, and Nayeon’s heart nearly soared when Mina’s mom mentioned that Mina had helped her prep for cooking the meal last night.

“Oh, you cook?” Nayeon asked, really not surprised. Honestly, it seemed there was no skill Mina hadn’t mastered. 

“Here and there.” Mina shrugged, but she was clearly embarrassed her mom had exposed her like that. 

After thanking Mina’s mom for the wonderful meal, the two girls headed up to Mina’s bedroom. 

“Do you play video games?” Mina asked, once they had reached the surprisingly spacious room.

She had a large flatscreen, outfitted with what looked like multiple game consoles. Nayeon spotted what she recognized as a Gamecube, but the other boxes hooked up were foreign to her. “Uh, not really. I haven’t played in years, actually. But I used to have a Gamecube too.” She pointed to the console as if it were an ancient relic. 

Mina’s eyes lit up at that. She patted the system lovingly. “I’ve managed to keep mine around all these years, and she still works like a charm.” 

“I was amazing at Mario Kart,” Nayeon said, continuing to survey the room. A few posters of movies and bands were framed on the walls. Above a wooden desk, a cork board display was covered in pictures tacked up in a neat arrangement. There was Mina, smiling that gummy smile of hers, surrounded by people Nayeon had never seen before. Her friends from back home, Nayeon assumed. She looked so happy. 

“I have Mario Kart for the Switch. Have you ever played?”

Nayeon shook her head. “To be honest, I don’t even really know what a Switch is…”

Mina gasped. looked offended while holding a hand to her heart. “Okay, we’re gonna play Mario Kart then.” She squatted down and turned on the console, handing Nayeon one controller while she took the other. 

“I remember when these things had wires,” Nayeon observed, studying the buttons on the controller. “God, I’m so old.”

“Prepare to be amazed, grandma,” Mina teased, turning on the TV and the game. Nayeon’s eyes widened. She wasn’t a gamer of any kind, but she had to admit, it did look fun. 

“Alright, even though I haven’t played in like ten years, I bet I can still beat your ass,” Nayeon said.

“You’re on.” 

Nayeon bet wrong. She did not, in fact, beat Mina’s ass. 

However, she actually did put up a fair fight, once she got used to the controls. The one race she beat Mina by hitting her with a blue shell at the last minute, the girl jumped onto her feet and cheered. Mina pouted for a moment, being a sore loser, but couldn’t help but smile at Nayeon’s excitement.

“Take that, Myoui!” Nayeon hollered, sticking out her tongue at Mina, who was still sitting cross-legged on her bed. 

“1 win out of 20 races. You really are a champion,” Mina mused, smiling smugly at her opponent.

“I’d make you eat those words, but look at the time,” Nayeon replied, pointing to the alarm clock on Mina’s bed stand. It was already almost 11PM. Neither one of the girls had checked their phones the entire time they’d been in Mina’s room, so engrossed in the game. How late it actually was came as a surprise to them both.

“I should be getting home soon,” Nayeon added, as Mina at the same time said: “God, it’s that late already?”

They smiled at one another. Nayeon would’ve really liked to stay longer, but she knew her mom would yell if she got home too late. 

“Thanks for coming over,” Mina replied, warmly.

“Thanks for having me.” Nayeon set down her controller and stuck her hands in her jean back pockets, not quite sure what to do with them. “Make sure you tell your mom thank you for me again.” 

Mina nodded. “I’ll walk you to your car.” Silently, the two girls descended the stairs to the main floor. There was a soft “woof” sounding at Nayeon as she slipped on her shoes near the door. Ray bounded over on his tiny paws, saying goodbye. Nayeon squatted down and rubbed the dogs ears, making the old dog huff in delight. 

“You like that, huh?” Nayeon replied, in a high-pitched baby voice. “Bye, Ray. It was a pleasure to meet you.” Nayeon gave the dog one last pat on the head before she stood up. Mina was watching with a small smile on her face.

“Ready?” she asked. Nayeon nodded. Mina slipped on some sandals and opened the door, holding up a warning hand to command Ray to stay as they walked outside. Closing the front door behind them, they were exposed to the sound of crickets chirping softly. It was quite soothing. 

“I’ll see you in two days,” Mina said. “Sectionals. You ready to sit for hours to watch Momo run for half a minute?”

Nayeon stepped forward, shortening the distance between the girls ever so slightly. She stared at Mina under hooded lashes. “I was born ready.” 

Mina giggled, but suddenly hiccuped as she realized how close Nayeon was to her.

Had she ever stood this close before?

There was only Nayeon’s eyes, illuminated by the moon and the front porch light. And she was looking at Mina, thoughtfully. There was something behind the girl’s eyes—something so intense it was almost scary. Mina wanted to turn away but Nayeon’s eyes held her prisoner, as if they were hypnotic. 

Nayeon’s lips were drawing near, closing the gap between them with their strawberry, sweet pink. Did they taste like strawberries, too?

Closer. Mina held her breath. She was frozen in place, like an observer forced to watch the events unfold in front of her. This was it. This was happening. This was going to be a thing. 

At the last moment though, before Mina could react, Nayeon turned her head, and simply pulled Mina into a tight hug. The result, with Mina still staring in the direction Nayeon’s lips were initially headed, was Mina’s own lips grazing Nayeon’s left cheek, just under the girl’s cheekbone.

Mina’s lips remained pressed there, with her eyes wide open, for what seemed like an eternity, before Nayeon jumped back, looking at Mina with an expression she was sure matched her own.

“Oh my god.” Mina sucked in a breath, closing her eyes and hiding her face behind her hands. “I’m sorry, I—”

“No, um, don’t apologize,” Nayeon replied, breathless. “I, um…”

“It was an accident,” Mina groaned, still covering her face with her hands. “I didn’t mean to…”

“You kissed me,” Nayeon stated, as if saying it out loud made it feel more real.  
Mina uncovered her face with her hands, finally, revealing her cheeks and nose were beat red. “I thought you were leaning in and…” Mina’s voice trailed off. 

“So you wanted to kiss me?” Nayeon asked, incredulous.

Biting her lip, Mina crossed her arms. She didn’t know how to respond. 

Nayeon barked out a bitter laugh. “God, I was going to kiss you but I chickened out.” 

“Oh…”

Silence. 

Nayeon wanted to bang her head on the asphalt beneath her feet. She had decided she was gonna kiss Mina, in the moonlight, with her lips looking softer than ever, but then an overwhelming fear engulfed her. A voice in her head told her it was too much, too soon, and so she turned away. What an idiot, she thought, glumly. 

Now both of the girls were mortified, and the moment was ruined. 

Nayeon scratched her arm anxiously, unable to keep still. She was torn between asking to try again, and hopping in her car and driving away as fast as possible. Looking to Mina for any guidance proved unhelpful, considering the other girl hadn’t taken her eyes off her own feet this whole time. 

“Let’s um, try that again another time, huh? When I’m not acting like a circus clown,” Nayeon finally said. 

Mina lifted up her head. “Nayeon, it’s okay. You didn’t—”

“I’ll see you at sectionals, alright?” Nayeon interrupted, so snappy that even she flinched at the roughness of her voice. “Thanks for everything tonight,” she added, much more softly. 

“Nayeon,” Mina said. Her voice rang out, surprisingly loud and stern. She stepped forward and took Nayeon’s left hand in her own. “Try again, now.”

Mina’s free hand found it’s way to Nayeon’s cheek, cupping it gently. She pulled Nayeon forward with a sense of determination she didn’t realize she had.

Nayeon didn’t hesitate this time. Their lips met, finally. 

Mina tasted sweet.


	4. Want You In My Room

It felt like forever since they’d been alone—which made Nayeon feel more on edge than usual. Mina’s face was tinted red from the cold, from her cheeks to the tip of her nose. There was nothing more Nayeon wanted in that moment than to lean forward and cover every inch of red on Mina’s face with her lips. 

 

But they were in public, surrounded by strangers and familiar faces alike. Sana would be back soon. And most importantly, Mina was not her girlfriend.

 

Nayeon settled for silently unwrapping the scarf she had around her neck and draping it around Mina’s, ever so gently. The girl seemed startled at first, expressing surprise with the “o” her mouth formed, but she let Nayeon continue. She was too cold to fight it, anyway.

 

“Won’t you be cold?” Mina asked, looking at Nayeon with concern-filled wide eyes.

 

“You’re the one shivering. I’ll be fine,” Nayeon assured. She gave Mina a confident grin, and then bit her lip to stop her own teeth from chattering. Damn, it was cold outside. This was going to be a long day.

 

Mina’s brows were furrowed together in worry, but she didn’t protest. Instead, she simply slid toward Nayeon on the bleachers until their hips were touching. “We’ll be warmer if we sit close together,” Mina explained.

 

Nayeon didn’t protest, either.

 

“A hot dog for you, and you,” Sana said, sliding onto the bleachers beside Nayeon. She handed both girls a hot dog wrapped in tin foil, looking satisfied. “Did I miss anything?”

 

“Some people ran in a circle, that’s about it,” Nayeon replied. “Momo should be up in like an hour, if the schedule is right.”

 

“They seem to be running a little behind,” Mina said, after taking a bite of her hot dog and getting a small amount of ketchup on her nose. 

 

Nayeon stared at it, biting her lip and wondering if she should wipe it off herself. 

 

“Mina, you have a little something there,” Sana reached across Nayeon, dabbing Mina’s face with a napkin. 

 

“Thanks.” Mina smiled, slightly embarrassed. Nayeon side-eyed Sana, who simply shrugged. She knew what Sana was doing. Sana had been the first one to know about the kiss Mina and Nayeon had shared, and the first one to groan in frustration after Nayeon admitted she wasn’t sure where her and Mina stood after that. 

 

_ “She obviously likes you, you dummy,” Sana had scolded. “Are you going to officially ask her out or what?” _

 

The thought slightly terrified Nayeon. Things had moved fast, and Momo was still in the picture. In fact, when Nayeon saw Mina in school the next day, both of them had acted like the kiss hadn’t even happened. 

 

Sana was now trying to force Nayeon to make some kind of move, using jealousy, it seemed. Nayeon was determined to not let it get to her. 

 

The three girls chatted about trivial things, waiting for Momo’s first race. She was doing the 200m sprint first, which would be over in less than 30 seconds. 

 

“I’ve been thinking about getting a Switch,” Sana said to Mina, leaning over Nayeon again. “You have one of those, right?” 

 

Nayeon clenched her jaw and sent daggers in Sana’s direction. The only reason she was bringing up the Switch is because Nayeon and Mina had played it the night they kissed. Silently, Nayeon cursed out her best friend and cursed herself for sharing too much information with the girl. 

 

Mina nodded, completely oblivious to what was transpiring between Nayeon and Sana. “It’s a great console if you don’t care for 4k graphics,” she said. “You can’t beat its game selection. Mario Kart Deluxe, Super Smash Bros, Breath of the Wild—”

 

“That sounds lovely,” Sana interjected, practically purring and giving Mina the biggest heart eyes she could muster. Truthfully, she knew nothing about video games, and didn’t really care to hear Mina continue with her list. “I’ve heard good things about those games.” The lies rolled off of Sana’s tongue nicely.

 

Nayeon clenched her fists in her lap as Mina, clearly a bit flustered, looked away from Sana and down at the track. 

 

“There she is,” Mina murmured—face instantly lighting up. Momo walked onto the track with about ten other runners. She stretched her legs and jumped from foot to foot, clearly nervous and focused. 

 

Any mischievous plans for Mina and Nayeon that Sana had instantly evaporated when she saw Momo on the field. 

 

“You can do it, Momo!” Sana shrieked from the bleachers, waving her arms wildly to get the other girl’s attention. Momo looked up and spotted the three, who whooped and cheered loudly, giving Momo their brightest smiles. Momo couldn’t help but smile back, feeling a rush of happiness at the sight of her own little cheering squad. She quickly turned her head though, refocusing on the sprint she had at hand. 

 

“I hope she does well,” Mina said. “She’s so hard on herself.”

 

“She’ll do amazing!” Sana assured. “Only positive thoughts allowed.”

 

The runners took off and the crowd went wild. Sana and Nayeon were so loud, Mina was almost tempted to plug her ears, but she prevailed and shouted along with them. 

 

“GO MOMO GO!” Sana screamed, obnoxiously loud. The volume caused Mina to erupt into embarrassed laughter when she noticed the people sitting in front of them turning around and giving Sana dirty looks. 

 

Momo’s lungs burned as she willed herself to move forward. Faster. She was a blur. Her lungs burned intensely with every passing second.  

 

She flew through the finish, letting her body gradually slow down to a walk before she stopped to catch her breath. Her teammates and coaches from the sidelines cheered, holding up two fingers at her. 

 

Second place. 

 

“OHMYGOD DID YOU SEE THAT?” Sana yelled, causing Nayeon to give her friend a hard smack on the arm. 

 

Mina watched Momo carefully, eyes trained on the girl’s face. Momo gave her coach a grin, and Mina released a sigh of relief. Second was good enough for Momo, and that was all that mattered. 

 

“Second means she can advance to states,” Mina explained to Nayeon and Sana. “This is what she wanted, even though it wasn’t a personal best.”

 

“Hopefully states will be warmer,” Nayeon muttered, sticking her hands back in her pockets and shivering slightly. “It’s freakishly cold for June.” 

 

“You’re gonna go to states too?” Mina asked, surprised. 

 

“Of course we are!” Sana exclaimed! “We’re Momo’s cheer squad, after all. I’m the captain, obviously.” Nayeon rolled her eyes at her friend and Mina made a slight face. “Mina! Don’t make that face too,” Sana whined, pouting at Mina. “You’ve been hanging out with Nayeon too often, she’s a bad influence on you.”

 

Mina and Nayeon looked at each other and giggled. Sana pouted for a second longer before breaking into a satisfied smile. She didn’t mind being the butt of the joke if it meant Nayeon and Mina were bonding. 

 

“I’m not sure where states is, but it isn’t around here,” Mina replied, changing the subject.

 

Nayeon raised her eyebrows. “Road trip in Karen!” Mina had nearly forgotten Nayeon had named her junky car, and was almost very confused.

 

“Like that hunk of junk can even make it more than a few miles. We’ll ride in my car,” Sana said. Mina gave her a nod of approval and Nayeon gasped dramatically at Mina’s betrayal. 

 

There was another hour before Momo’s second race. Nayeon could tell Mina was almost as nervous as Momo was, judging by the girl’s slightly labored breathing and wide eyes. Without even realizing it, as Momo took her mark, Mina reached over and placed her hand on Nayeon’s. 

 

Nayeon nearly flinched at the sudden cold touch, but looked down and smiled once she realized it was Mina searching for some kind of support. Wordlessly, she gently took the opportunity to slide her hand out from under Mina’s and intertwine their fingers together. 

 

Mina was almost taken off guard enough by Nayeon’s action to take her eyes off of the race at hand. Almost.

 

Much to nobody’s surprise, Momo placed first. The crowd roared, and Nayeon, Mina and Sana stomped their feet on the metal bleachers. Realizing then that Nayeon was still holding her hand, Mina shyly let it drop. She turned to look at Nayeon, who was already looking at her. The two shared small smiles before Sana’s screaming dissolved the moment of peace they were having. For a split second, Nayeon thought she was gonna have to hold Sana back to stop her from running out onto the track and bear-hugging Momo. 

 

Momo was in one last relay, so the three girls hung around until then, watching as the team raced their way into states as well. Sana really wanted to stick around to wish Momo congratulations, but Momo had sent Mina a text assuring them they should head home. 

 

“You’ll see her again soon,” Nayeon told Sana, who simply pouted as they walked down the bleacher steps and toward the school parking lot. “Very soon, actually. Aren’t you going out for lunch with her tomorrow?”

 

Mina raised an eyebrow, this being the first she’d heard of this. 

 

Sana’s pout disappeared and she nodded enthusiastically. “Mm-hm.” She was practically skipping now, making it back to her car. Mina and Nayeon shared another silent look, rolling their eyes in unison. 

 

“I know she really appreciated you both being here,” Mina said, climbing into the backseat of Sana’s car. (Her and Nayeon had played rock, paper scissors for shot gun and Mina had lost… and that was the first time Nayeon had heard Mina whine like the sore loser she was.)

 

“It was fun,” Nayeon lied, turning around in her seat and giving Mina an assuring grin. “She appreciated you being here, too.” Nayeon wasn’t sure why she added that—it was obvious. But she was overcome with the desire to make sure Mina knew her presence was wanted. 

 

The statement made Mina flush, and she waved her hand dismissively. “That’s what friends are for.” 

 

_ Friends _ . Friends only. Mina and Momo were only friends.

 

At that, Nayeon turned back around in her seat to hide her beaming smile. Sana, who had driven the car out of the parking lot, looked over at Nayeon’s dopey grin and snorted. 

 

Later that night, when Mina was laying in bed, doing her last run of social media before closing her eyes, she decided to text Momo. 

 

_ So you’re hanging out with Sana tomorrow?  _

 

It was an innocent question. Mina was genuinely curious what had prompted the seemingly uninterested girl into accepting an outing with Sana.

 

_ Yeah, she wouldn’t stop bugging me about it.  _

 

Mina could practically envision Sana’s persistent texts in her head and she smiled. 

 

_ You guys will have fun. _

 

Truthfully, Mina knew Sana might drive Momo a little nuts at first, but she knew Momo would quickly warm up to the girl. She was still pretty sure Momo had absolutely no idea that Sana was actually  _ interested _ in her. (How oblivious, Mina thought—ironically so, considering how useless she herself was.)

 

_ We’ll see. thanks for coming out today. hope it wasn’t too boring  _

 

_ We had fun and we’re happy to support you! Now get some sleep, you must be exhausted.  _

 

_ fine mom, I guess I’ll go to bed. goodnight mina _

Mina scoffed at her phone screen.  _ Goodnight, Momo. _

 

Sana showed up to the restaurant slightly early, trying to calm her nerves on the way there by assuring herself it was absolutely not a date. It’d been quite some time since anyone had made her quite this nervous. It only made her more nervous to remember that the person who had made her nervous in the past was actually Momo too, years ago on the track team. 

 

Momo was the first girl who Sana truly was smitten for, but sadly enough, it was as if Sana was invisible to Momo. After that indirect rejection, Sana had vowed to never be invisible to anyone like that again—which led to a huge confidence boost and an effort on her part to be more social and bubbly. She’d undergone a bit of a transformation her sophomore year, and that led her to becoming the person she was today. A person who could actually get the attention of the girl she once fantasized about.

 

She couldn’t be bitter at Momo, knowing the girl had been so focused on track that year. In fact, Sana had kept tabs on the girl, out of curiosity, and was almost positive she had never dated anyone. When the opportunity presented itself to get closer to the oddly quiet track star, Sana couldn’t help but take it. That’s why she was here now, wringing her hands together out of habit as she sat at a booth alone.

 

“Hello,” she heard a soft voice call from nearby. Sana immediately stood up, waving at the meek looking Momo who was wearing—much to Sana’s surprise—a long, blue summer dress. Looking down at her own casual t-shirt and jeans, Sana felt slightly out of place as Momo sat down across from her.

 

“You look really nice,” Sana exclaimed. Momo followed Sana’s eyeline to the dress she was wearing and the older girl suddenly looked sheepish.

 

“Sometimes I get tired of dressing sporty all the time,” Momo explained, reaching for the menu Sana had grabbed for her. They sat in a slightly awkward silence for a moment, before Sana broke it.

 

“You did amazing yesterday. You must be exhausted,” Sana replied. “Thanks for agreeing to meet me today.”

 

“You make it hard to say no,” Momo said, slightly teasing and slightly serious. Sana had been pestering her since she’d gotten her phone number about going out and doing something. Honestly, the idea wasn’t unappealing to Momo, who secretly wanted to find someone else to hang out with since it was impossible to not see Mina and immediately think of Nayeon.

 

Mina had told Momo about the kiss, of course. Being a bit shocked, Momo had slightly recoiled after first hearing about it. However, Mina was so embarrassed by it that Momo couldn’t help but laugh and poke the girl’s sides, causing her to wiggle and squirm away from Momo’s touch. She was happy for Mina, truly, but a part of her heart ached in ways it never ached before. There was an intense feeling of loss then—as her chances with Mina had all but disappeared. Momo told herself that she’d never had a chance in the first place, but she wasn’t so sure. 

 

Sometimes she thought Mina could’ve fallen for her, maybe in another life. But now was not one of those times. 

 

Nayeon was a good person, from what Momo could tell. She seemed level-headed and quick witted enough to match with Mina’s sharp humor. If Momo was being honest, Mina and Nayeon were a good fit. 

 

_ “I can’t believe you got a girlfriend before I did,” Momo had said, acting offended and sighing dramatically as the two sat in her bedroom the night after the kiss had happened. _

 

_ “She’s not my girlfriend,” Mina corrected, abruptly. She let herself fall back against Momo’s mattress, next to her friend who had already been laying there.  _

 

_ “You’ve been on two dates and you’ve kissed,” Momo replied, punching Mina playfully in the arm.  _

 

_ “They weren’t—“ Mina stopped herself though, unable to deny Momo’s claims. “I’m not sure what we are, honestly. I’m not even sure she really likes me.” _

 

_ Momo sighed, frustrated at her friend’s cluelessness. “She likes you, Mina.” _

 

_ “How do you know? Besides the kiss?” _

 

_ Turning her head to face Mina’s, Momo‘s face grew serious. “What’s not to like?”  _

 

_ Mina felt her cheeks flush as she turned away from her friend’s endearing gaze. “A lot of things,” she murmured, quietly, but didn’t add anything else. _

 

_ Letting her eyes trail along Mina’s side profile, illuminated by nothing more than the star-shaped light that she’d bought, hanging in the corner of her bedroom, Momo felt at peace. “You seriously don’t believe that, do you?” Momo asked. “You’re a very likable person.”  _

 

_ Mina shyly giggled at Momo’s insistence. “I’m glad you think so. You are, too.” _

 

_ You are, too.  _

 

Back in the present, Momo let her eyes flick along the restaurant’s menu, even though she already knew what she wanted. She ordered the same thing every time she came to this restaurant. 

 

“People say my persistence is a gift,” Sana replied, shaking Momo out of her hazy stupor. There was a smirk on the girl’s lips, and Momo couldn’t help but scoff slightly at the other girl’s confidence. “Do you know what you’re ordering?”

 

Nodding, Momo closed her menu and slid it closer to the edge of their table. 

 

“So you’re going to states, huh?” Sana asked, resting her chin in her hand and continuing to stare at Momo with those sly eyes.

 

“For all three of my events, yeah.” Momo was proud of herself for this achievement. From the way Sana’s eyes shined, it appeared that she was proud, too.

 

“Nayeon, Mina and I are gonna go and cheer you on again!”

 

Momo furrowed her brow, looking at the girl across from her in disbelief. “You know states is 2 hours away...right?”

 

“We’re going on a mini road trip. It’ll be fun.”

 

Clenching her jaw slightly, the thought made Momo feel embarrassed. She felt bad that two girls she barely knew were doing that much for her. Even Mina shouldn’t feel obligated to go, despite the two of them being best friends.

 

“You’re crazy,” Momo murmured. Sana simply shrugged. 

 

“I like to watch you run,” she replied, as if that made everything make sense somehow. 

 

The waiter came by, setting down their drinks, and the girls gave their orders. 

 

“Are you using my track meets to get Nayeon and Mina closer together?” It wasn’t said bitterly, just earnestly. Momo took a sip of her apple juice while she anticipated a response.

 

Sana’s relaxed smile faltered slightly. She looked genuinely surprised. “What? No. I really wanna be there to support you. We all do.”

 

“You barely know me,” Momo replied, sipping from her straw even more aggressively. She wasn’t sure why she was suddenly so annoyed. 

 

Drumming fingers on the table, Sana mustered up another delicate smile. “I’d like to get to know you, if you’d let me.”

 

She sounded sincere, and for some reason it scared Momo. Anxiously, she took another sip of her juice, but stopped short when she realized she had drank it all without realizing. Sheepishly, she let her eyes move back up to meet Sana’s curious ones. 

 

“There’s not much to know about me.” Momo shrugged. “Track is kind of my life.”

 

Sana leaned forward, brushing her blonde hair behind her shoulder and exposing her neck. Momo couldn’t help but stare, blinking a few times to clear her head. “You have to have other hobbies,” Sana replied, taking note of Momo’s reaction but choosing to tuck her observation away for a later time. 

 

Momo chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking. “I like to dance in my spare time, but nothing serious.”

 

Nodding, seemingly satisfied, Sana opened her mouth to comment but Momo quickly continued. “What about you, Miss Secretary?” Momo teased, commenting on Sana’s position as class secretary. “What’s student council like?” 

 

It was Sana’s turn to shrug. “Kind of boring, honestly. Our meetings are usually just bickering between the president and VP. Nothing ever gets done besides things like switching out what’s in the vending machines.” 

 

“Oh yeah, my favorite pretzels are gone! They were replaced with veggie chips. It’s pure evil.” Momo pouted, making Sana chuckle quietly. “Who made that call?”

 

Sana bit her lip. “Me, actually.” 

 

Momo gasped dramatically, staring across at Sana as if she were suddenly the enemy. “I can’t believe this...this betrayal.” 

 

Sana shrugged innocently. “Students need healthier options!”

 

“But the buffalo dusting on them, oh my  _ god.  _ It’s like taking a bite of heaven! And now I’ll never taste them again!” Momo’s pout increased, and Sana scoffed. 

 

“You’re so dramatic! Can’t you just buy them at the store if you want them that badly?” 

 

Momo pressed her lips together. “I guess...but that’s just more effort.”

 

Sana scoffed again, before bursting out into a pleasant giggle. Momo found herself relaxing at the sound, letting any feeling of annoyance from earlier slip away. “Sorry about that,” Sana said. “I guess I’ll have to find some way to make it up to you.”

 

And she did, the very next day at school, actually. 

 

Momo was literally bombarded in the face with a bag of those very pretzels as she casually strolled through the school hallway with one of her teammates. There had been nothing but a short warning shout of “Hirai!” before the bag flew into the air from Sana’s hands. Dazed and confused, and somewhat intrigued by the sound of her last name rolling off of Sana’s tongue, Momo simply gawked with her hands remaining limply by her sides. 

 

This was her mistake, and she paid the price. The bag whacked her in the face with a soft thud. The hallway erupted into laughter and above all, the high-pitched squeak that left Sana’s lips as she realized what she’d done. Momo blinked—still so caught off guard, she could barely register what just happened. 

 

“I’m so sorry,” Sana sputtered, rushing over to grab the bag off the ground and choking back laughter. She wanted to embrace the girl into a hug but wasn’t sure if Momo would be comfortable with that yet. “I got you your pretzels.” Sana held the bag out to Momo, presenting it with a shy grin on her face. 

 

Momo snapped out of her stupor and took the bag from Sana, looking down at it with wide eyes. Sure enough, there were the buffalo pretzels she so desired. She clenched the bag tightly, finally processing what just happened. Momo huffed, before bursting into embarrassed laughter and patting her face with her free hand. 

 

“You’re not hurt, are you?” Sana asked, suddenly horrified.

 

Momo shook her head. “Sana, it’s a bag of pretzels. I’m fine.”

 

“Sorry, I don’t know why I thought it’d be a good idea to toss them at you. I have terrible aim.”

 

“I can tell.” 

 

The two girls stood for a moment, regarding each other, before a cough from Momo’s teammate captured both of their attention. “Oh, right, Jeongyeon, this is Sana—”

 

“I know who Sana is, Momo,” Jeongyeon replied, giving Sana a friendly nod. 

 

Momo’s mouth formed a silent “o”  as she looked between the two girls, feeling dumb. Of course Jeongyeon knew Sana. It seemed most of her classmates did. Momo was the odd one out, somehow oblivious to Sana’s existence until recently. 

 

“I’ll head on to class, see you in there,” Jeongyeon said, giving Sana a friendly wave before walking past the two and leaving Sana and Momo alone. 

 

Momo examined the pretzels in her hand again, smiling to herself. “Thanks for these.”

 

“I’m just making it up to you,” Sana shrugged casually, but she wore a satisfied smile. 

 

“I expect to see one every week for the rest of the year, if you really want to make it up to me,” Momo teased. Without hesitation, Sana agreed, and Momo found herself perplexed once again. “Wait, I wasn’t being seri—”

 

“Once a week, you got it. I won’t throw it at you, though,” Sana chirped, happily. 

 

Momo was never one to turn down free food. “A-alright.” The warning bell rang, making Momo jump nearly a foot in the air. “Well, I’ll be seeing you around then.”

 

Sana was already walking backwards, ready to turn on her heels. “See ya later!” she called as she spun on her heel. 

  
  
  


 

“I heard you hit Momo in the face with pretzels. Good going,” was the first thing Nayeon said to Sana as she slipped into her seat in their classroom, in front of the older girl. 

 

“God, how do you always find out about everything so quickly.” Sana turned around and gave Nayeon a cheeky grin. “It’s one way to get a girl’s attention.”

 

“And?”

 

“I’ll be bringing her a bag of pretzels once a week until the end of the year.”

 

Nayeon furrowed her brow. “So...you let her bully you into giving her free food…?”

 

“I’m  _ spoiling _ her, take note,” Sana corrected, giving Nayeon a wink before turning back around in her seat as the teacher began to start the class. 

 

During the class, Nayeon’s phone light lit up. Hiding it out of sight from her teacher, Nayeon glanced down to see that Mina had sent her a message with a response to a meme Nayeon had sent her earlier. Smiling to herself, Nayeon typed out a message.  

 

_ Texting during class, huh? I might just have to report you… _

 

_ If I go down I’m bringing you with me. I screenshotted the receipts already. Don’t even try to erase the evidence.  _

 

_ Please. You act as if I have something to lose. I wasn’t the one who already got detention her first month at school. ;) _

 

_ I don’t mind tarnishing my record just a little bit more to bring down your squeaky clean one :)  _

 

Nayeon nearly huffed out loud, before remembering that she was still in class. She continued typing.

 

_ How about we both save ourselves the trouble and agree to not say a word? _

 

_ Fine, I may be swayed to not spill if you agree to come over tomorrow night so I can beat you at Mario Kart again. _

 

There was a pause in their conversation as Nayeon suddenly felt her breath catch in her throat. Mina was getting bold and it made her nervous. Any sense of confidence melted away as Nayeon thought of some excuse she could make to play off Mina’s invitation. Why Nayeon felt the need to say no, she wasn’t sure. 

 

As her thumbs typed out an excuse, she quickly stopped and scolded herself in her head. What was she doing, running from this? Mina was making an effort...so why did that scare Nayeon so much? She undid everything she wrote and took a breath.

 

_ You’re on. _

 

Nayeon smiled down at her phone despite everything. This was happening. She’d be alone in Mina’s room with the girl once again…

 

A quiet cough caught Nayeon’s attention. She glanced up and saw Sana had twisted around to stare at her, giving her a knowing look. “Your smile,” she mouthed, pointing to Nayeon’s face. She raised her brows suggestively and Nayeon just rolled her eyes. 

 

“Miss Minatozaki,” the teacher drawled, snapping Sana to attention and back to the front. “Something you wanna share with the class?” 

 

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the unoriginality of that statement, Sana shook her head profusely. “No, sorry,” she said, sheepishly. The teacher gave her a bit of a disappointed glare before turning back to the whiteboard to continue writing something down. 

 

Sana took one last peek back at Nayeon, who stuck out her tongue.  __

  
  
  


 

The second time Nayeon walked through Mina’s bedroom door, the atmosphere felt different. Nayeon had been nervous the first time, but now she was practically shaking with anticipation. Every time Mina had caught her eye on the car ride to Mina’s house, Nayeon felt her heart race. She had tried to hype herself up into asking the girl out all morning. Now, the time had finally come, and Nayeon’s mouth felt raw and uncooperative. 

 

Mina, on the other hand, appeared completely calm and unbothered. Nayeon wouldn’t realize, but underneath her cool exterior, Mina was just as nervous and terrified. There was no hint of it until, sitting down on Mina’s bed next to each other, the younger girl’s voice wavered and stuttered, trying to get merely simple words out. Embarrassed, Mina quickly got up and turned on her Switch, breaking their proximity to one another.  

 

“About the other day,” Nayeon began, while the sound of Mario Kart 8 whirred in the background. 

 

Nayeon could see Mina’s back literally tense. Remaining facing the screen, Mina only turned her head slightly in Nayeon’s direction. 

 

“I was thinking more about it and… I liked it. I liked kissing you.” Holding her breath, Nayeon leaned forward slightly, anticipating Mina’s reaction. Was it possible she’d misread all the signs? Was she about to be rejected, right here and now? 

 

“You did?” Mina asked, softly. This time, turning her whole body so that she was facing Nayeon completely. She remained squatted down with two pro controllers in hand. 

 

Nodding feverishly, Nayeon smiled at Mina’s surprised expression. 

“Was it—I mean, did you...like it, too?” Nayeon’s fingers rubbed against her jeans over and over again, absentmindedly. Her body was not satisfied with simply remaining still at a time like this.

 

Mina pursed her lips, and Nayeon steeled herself for a polite rejection. But instead of speaking, the girl set the controllers down and joined Nayeon on the bed again. “I did like it,” Mina finally said. It was the first time she admitted it to herself, and the first time she’d said it out loud. It felt liberating.  

 

“So, would you like to...go out with me?” Nayeon asked, biting her lip. The sound of a race montage still played out in the background. Princess Peach cried out as she got hit with a green shell. It dawned on Nayeon that this was not romantic...at all. “I mean, we can still be friends if you don’t want to,” Nayeon rambled on, now fumbling with the sleeves of her sweater. “I really enjoy hanging out with you and—”

 

“Nayeon,” Mina interrupted, smiling knowingly. “I’ll go out with you.” 

 

Putting a hand on her heart, Nayeon exhaled in relief. “Oh, thank god.”

 

Mina laughed at that, and the sound was heavenly to Nayeon’s ears. Grinning from ear to ear, Nayeon reached out for Mina’s hand, and took the warm, delicate thing in her own. “I wasn’t sure if you liked me, too,” Mina admitted. “I wasn’t even sure what I thought of you, until we kissed.”

 

“It wasn’t love at first sight?” Nayeon teased, glad that her own sense of confidence was returning. It was unnerving how her feelings for Mina could make Nayeon feel so small and vulnerable. 

 

Rolling her eyes, Mina scoffed. “Don’t push it, Im.”

 

Nayeon smiled smugly and turned her attention back to the TV. Toad got annihilated by a blue shell. Mina reached for her nightstand for the remote, turning the TV off. “No Mario Kart?” Nayeon asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 

“No, I have a few other things in mind,” Mina replied, cheekily. For once, not having anything sarcastic or snarky to say in response, Nayeon shut her mouth and let Mina lead the way. 

  
  
  


 

Sana kept bringing Momo her pretzels every week. She even supersized the bags so they would last Momo awhile. At first, it was only in the hallways between classes. Their conversations were brief, with Momo giving her an embarrassed thank you, while Sana responded with a radiant grin. They texted here and there—it was mostly Sana checking in on Momo, but Sana appreciated every word Momo sent nonetheless. 

 

Sana invited Momo over to her house after her track practice (for snacks, of course). They curled up on her living room couch and watched throwback cartoons on Netflix. Momo was slightly surprised Sana was even into cartoons at all. 

 

“I watched them all the time growing up,” Sana insisted. “Some of them, anyway.  _ Courage the Cowardly Dog _ kind of scared me a bit, so I only watched that once.  _ Totally Spies  _ was my favorite. I was so obsessed with that show as a kid. I even bought a spy kit from one of my book fairs and thought I was the real deal. I had this fake lipstick that was secretly a voice recorder and everything.” 

 

Momo laughed, and Sana held up a hand, starting to laugh too. “I’m not kidding! I tied a string to it and hung it from the side of the balcony out back, trying to record my parents’ conversation underneath me—cause lipstick hanging from a string is totally not noticeable—and I ended up getting stung by like 6 bees for no reason!” 

 

Momo was cackling now, nearly doubled over. It wasn’t that funny, but the sound of Sana’s high-pitched laughter only made Momo laugh harder. She couldn’t explain it, but it was like Sana had just said the funniest thing in the world. The sounds of both of their laughter kept escalating until Sana managed to take a breath and smack Momo. 

 

“Stop laughing, it isn’t funny!” she shrilled, letting out a few laughs before continuing, “Getting stung that many times was traumatizing! My arms were so swelled up! I’m scared of bees now!” 

 

“You’re so dumb,” Momo replied, finally catching her breath as well. “I can’t get over the fact that you thought they couldn’t see the lipstick dangling over their heads.”

 

“Hey, I was a smart kid, you know—I skipped a grade and all!” Sana stuck out her tongue. “I just had my moments.” 

 

The two girls stared at each other. Sana thought, for maybe a moment, she might have broken through Momo’s thick shell—wedging herself deeper into Momo’s heart. But the moment was broken as soon as Momo reached her hand into the bag of chips Sana had placed out for them both, and she turned her attention back to the TV screen. 

 

Slightly disappointed, Sana’s smile dropped slightly as she listened to the crunch of the chips between Momo’s teeth. What she didn’t know—what she couldn’t possibly know—was that in that moment, Momo felt something familiar bubbling up in her chest. It was a feeling the girl was used to experiencing whenever she was around Mina. Confused, and not wanting to reflect on it further, Momo had quickly changed the mood, tearing her eyes away from Sana’s. 

 

 

 

A few weeks later, it was time for states. As promised, Mina and Nayeon piled into Sana’s car, prepped with a road trip playlist and an aux cord for the drive. The drive went quickly—mostly consisting of Nayeon and Sana’s friendly banter, and some singing along. It was a warm yet slightly cloudy day. Luckily nothing like the harsh, fall-esque day sectionals had fallen on. Reveling in the sun, dressed in matching shirts that Sana had insisted they make, the three girls made their way up the track field bleachers. 

 

“Hey, Mina!” a friendly voice called. Mina stopped mid-step and looked around to find a familiar face. It was Jihyo, a girl Mina knew somewhat from her English class, and from the fact that she was dating Jeongyeon, who was one of Momo’s closest friends on the track team. 

 

“Jihyo! Hey,” Mina called back, and politely waved. Jihyo was sitting with a few other girls Mina didn’t recognize, but she waved at them as well. Nayeon and Sana stopped behind Mina, both intrigued by the fresh wave of faces. 

 

“Here to cheer on Momo?” Jihyo guessed, pointing at the shirts the three girls were wearing. Mina nodded. 

 

Sana had insisted on coordinating their outfits, despite Nayeon’s protests. Two nights ago, Sana, Mina and Nayeon had gathered in Sana’s basement with plain t-shirts, puffy paint, glitter, and cardboard. After a few hours, with Nayeon finishing first, Sana second, and Mina last, they each had their own, custom “Momo’s #1 Fan” shirts. 

 

_ “Why does yours look so neat?” Nayeon had grumbled, staring down at Mina’s shirt, which was still drying.  _

 

_ “I didn’t rush,” Mina shrugged. Indeed, her writing was neat, and well planned. Nayeon’s was…well, for lack of a better word, a mess.  _

 

_ “Yours is legible, at least,” Sana said, shaking her head at Nayeon’s shirt. “You should’ve just let me make yours.”  _

 

_ Nayeon curled her lip, glaring at Sana. “Hey, at least mine doesn’t have a smudge on it!” _

 

_ Sana gasped, furrowing her brow and stomping forward toward Nayeon. “I dropped the puffy paint!” she whined. “It was an accident!” _

 

_ Mina, cleaning up some of the supplies, simply rolled her eyes.  _

 

“We’re a whole cheering squad,” Sana chripped, back in the present. 

 

“This is Sana, by the way,” Mina gestured between Jihyo and Sana, knowing since they weren’t in the same graduating class, they probably weren’t acquainted. “And this is my girlfriend, Nayeon,” Mina gestured to Nayeon, standing beside her. 

 

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Jihyo replied, giving them both big smiles. “Enjoy the meet!”

 

Nayeon, Mina and Sana slid into open seats, settling down with Mina sitting in the middle. Out of the blue, while setting her purse down on the floor in front of her, Mina felt warm breath beside her ear, tickling the skin on her neck. 

 

Nayeon had leaned over to whisper in her ear. “You called me your girlfriend,” she said, in a hushed voice, as if she were sharing something scandalous. 

 

Mina leaned back with an unamused expression on her face. “Nayeon, we’ve been dating for weeks now…”

 

Nayeon had a dopey grin on her face, one so infectious that Mina had to look away in order for her to not smile back. “I know but, that’s the first time you’ve said it out loud. It has a nice ring to it.” 

 

Mina sighed, unable to hide her slightly embarrassed smile back any longer. She could feel her face flaming. “Shut up,” she murmured.

 

“You two are so adorable,” Sana squeaked. It was then Mina realized how closely Sana had been leaning into her, watching them. “I can’t wait until I can be this cheesy with Momo soon.”

 

“Wow, confident much,” Nayeon replied. 

 

“I’ve found the way to her heart is through her stomach,” Sana shrugged, smirking. 

 

Mina considered this, before nodding. “She’s not wrong.” 

 

 “You two are getting along well,” Nayeon admitted. “I’m surprised you haven’t driven her crazy yet.” 

 

“Oh she has, trust me.” Mina grinned, causing Sana to pout. Sana looped her arm through Mina’s and leaned against her in response, whining. 

 

After a moment, Nayeon followed suit, resting her head against Mina’s shoulder. Closing her eyes, taking in the warmth on either side of her, Mina was content. 

 

Momo did okay at states, but not well enough to advance to nationals. This time, after her final race was over, Momo jogged over to the bleachers to greet her friends. Sana led the way, practically tripping down the bleacher steps to give Momo a hug. 

 

“I’m super sweaty,” Momo warned, as Sana approached at an alarming rate. It was clear the other girl didn’t care one bit.

 

Sana fell into Momo easily, and Momo caught her, giving both Nayeon and Mina a shy smile over Sana’s shoulder as she continued to hold the girl. “You did amazing,” Sana murmured. They released one another, and Momo wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, pushing her bangs off to the side and unknowingly making Sana quake. 

 

“I’d hug you both too but…” Momo’s voice trailed off as she looked down at her sweaty track uniform. 

 

“Yeah, we’re good,” Nayeon said, grinning. “You really did great, Momo.” 

 

“We’re so proud of you,” Mina added. 

 

Momo smiled genuinely. Despite not advancing, she was proud about how well she’d done. She also noted, looking between Nayeon and Mina, whose hands kept brushing up against one another, that she didn’t feel as much jealousy or pain as she had first felt after seeing them together as a couple for the first time. 

 

She turned her head to look at Sana standing next to her, who was looking at her like she was her entire universe. That feeling Momo had felt in Sana’s living room stirred again, this time stronger. 

 

She wouldn’t push it aside this time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for going on this ride with me! xx


End file.
